Laura Muir says coaching career appeals

Inspired by coach Andy Young, track star is looking ahead

Laura Muir and her coach Andy Young at the Scottish Athletics Awards. Picture: Bobby Gavin

Laura Muir will consider a career in coaching when she hangs up her spikes.

Athletics in Britain needs more female coaches and while Muir is currently a long way off stepping away from top competition, she has admitted learning from coach Andy Young has whetted her appetite.

“I don’t know what I will do in the future in terms of my athletics,” said the Scot, who has won five European titles and two World Indoors medals.

“Could I be a coach? I’ve learned a lot from Andy but I’m not naïve enough to think that there isn’t a lot more to coaching than I’m aware of at the moment.

“I’d definitely like to pace races in later years if that helps other girls to run a good time. If my body allows me, I quite fancy that.

“But coaching is something that has crossed my mind – but I will only do it if I feel I can do a good job and help athletes really develop.”

For the moment, with the Olympics postponed and the remainder of the 2020 season in doubt, Muir is simply ticking over. “I am just trying to keep ticking over at the moment and stay in one piece,’ she told scottishathletics in a video interview.

“We don’t have access to physio, for example. So you do what you can.

“Andy is always a big planner and a great fan of spreadsheets. It is real shame for him the Olympics being moved because he had done an enormous amount of work in terms of the preparations – the sessions, the training camps, the competitions. He’s had every month planned out from last year working towards Japan for this year.

“It is so hard to plan right now, obviously, because we just don’t know if and when there might be races happening in 2020. I’ve been on the podium a few times which is great. If I can get on the podium at an Olympics at some point that would be amazing. But I just want to enjoy it and be the best athlete I can be.

“It is still a wee bit surreal to feel like a role model. Kids come up and ask for photos and that is nice. I guess if young ones in Scotland are thinking ‘She’s done it, then so can I’ then I’m happy with that.”

Watch the video at: www.scottishathletics.org.uk