Laura Muir opts out of European Indoor title defence to focus on Tokyo Olympics

Laura Muir will not attempt to complete a triple double at the European Indoor Championships as she sets her sights on the Tokyo Olympics.
Laura Muir won the 1.500m and 3,000m at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow in 2019.Laura Muir won the 1.500m and 3,000m at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow in 2019.
Laura Muir won the 1.500m and 3,000m at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow in 2019.

The 27-year-old Scot successfully defended her 1500m and 3000m titles in Glasgow two years ago, but has decided not to compete at the event in Poland in March.

Muir said: "In the year of the Olympics, we tend to focus on the outdoors. I didn't do a big indoor season in 2016 so I wasn't looking to do the championships.

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"I love racing indoors and it's a nice opportunity to check where you're at, but I wouldn't have done any of the major championships and it's nice not to be worrying about that championships (European Indoors) because we're not going to be considering it, anyway."

Muir has been preparing for Tokyo at a British Athletics camp in Dubai amid uncertainty over the shape of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, having recovered from the calf and Achilles problems which have hindered her in recent times, she is working on the basis that the Games will go ahead.

Muir added: "We've got to have the mentality that the Olympics are going ahead because you would hate for them to come around and not be prepared. All we can do is be as best prepared as is possible considering the timelines we've got.”

"I think last year was actually quite nice. I still found that I was motivated to train and I really enjoyed my training. The was nice to kind of work out because for so many years it had been so intense with so many things going on."

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