World Athletics Championships: Laura Muir and Josh Kerr lead the Scots to watch in Oregon

The 1500 metres is neither a marathon nor a sprint. The next 37 days, for Laura Muir, will assuredly feel at times like one or both.

Never before has so much athletics of consequence been squeezed into such a compressed period. The European Championships in Munich in mid-August falls only a week after the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Both follow the world championships which begin in Oregon tonight. For those toasting a treble, powers of endurance will be tested to the max.

Yet these are the occasions to cherish for Muir and the ten fellow Scots who have ventured to America’s west coast. “We have been training really hard and up to a late date so we can peak for so long,” the Olympic silver medallist of last summer declares.

“It is in the right order for me - the worlds, and then Commonwealths and Europeans - in terms of priority and competitiveness. It is incredibly difficult. But it is probably the best order it can be.”

One at a time, she pledges. “After the Europeans I can collapse,” she grins. First up, surviving this evening’s initial heats. A sound approach for all among Scotland’s extraordinary cluster of middle-distance marvels, most of whom have checked into the athlete hotel with clear aspirations of departing with medals.

Heady days, and not just for Muir. “Middle distance running in Britain is now insane and we are getting a lot of attention from it as well,” enthuses her training partner Jemma Reekie, fourth at the Olympics in the 800m as Wigan’s wunderkind Keely Hodgkinson secured silver.

“If you’re one of the best in Britain, then you’re one of the best in the world. I was on Scottish Schools teams with Josh Kerr when we were kids. And to see where we’ve come from, it’s been a lot of years of hard work. It’s definitely not happened overnight.”

On form and stature alone, Hodgkinson is the UK’s surest thing for an individual medal. The sprint relays, as ever, will be in the mix, the rump of the men’s line-up seeking some atonement for losing their silver from Tokyo due to CJ Ujah’s positive doping test. Otherwise, there are solid shots but no stick-on guarantees.

Laura Muir hopes to medal in the women's 1500m at the World Athletics Championship in Oregon, which start today. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Not even Muir, given a build-up disrupted by injury and the presence of defending champion Sifan Hassan and the brilliance of Faith Kipyegon who denied the 29-year-old from Kinross gold in Japan.

The women’s 1500, says Muir, has “the potential to be the best global final that we’ve ever had in terms of strength and depth. But, she adds, “anything could happen so you're never going to rule it out. Quite often, there's always one or two surprise winners at a champs.

“I think I'm in the best place possible to perform as best as I can. But even saying that, I know that I could run the race of my life and run a personal best, or British record, and come fourth or fifth. I hope it is enough for a medal.”

Kerr, with his own Olympic bronze, might present the same analysis in the men’s 1500m. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the mercurial Norwegian, will be favoured. Eyeing the podium are each of the event’s tartan trio, Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley included. All finalists in 2019 in Doha, with Wightman foremost in fifth place, their recent results – and the triple threat – point to good odds of one, at least, cracking the medals.

Josh Kerr won an Olympic bronze medal in the men's 1500m in Tokyo last year. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“We'll be hoping we all make the final,” says Kerr, who has only had to make a short hop from his nearby training hub in Seattle. “As soon as we make that final, it's ‘which one of us is going to medal?’ Or ‘how many of us are going to medal this time?’ And that's just that's the way it's going to be.

“That’s just how we have to do it - to push each other to the best level. And, if we're going to have multiple medallists from the same country, in the same event, that's going to be pretty amazing.”

There is an outside chance too for Eilish McColgan in tomorrow’s 10,000m final – a title her mother Liz obtained 31 years ago in Tokyo. The Dundonian was living her best life, capturing European and UK records on the roads, prior to a recent bout of illness. She looked capable of eclipsing Paula Radcliffe’s British record of 30 mins 1.09 secs. She still might.

She too faces a stacked field. “Even if I was a low 29 minute runner, it still doesn't guarantee you a medal on race day. So it's certainly not something that I'm gearing up for. And if I don't get it, then I'm not a failure.”

Laura Muir in the Women's 1500m final at the Muller UK Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena last month. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Other Scots will be longer shots: Nicole Yeargin in the 400m and in tonight’s mixed 4x400 relay. Andy Butchart in the 5000m, two months after a broken leg. Zoey Clark, ever reliable in the 4x400 relay. Nick Percy extending his reach in the discus. And Beth Dobbin, likely a semi-finalist in the 200m but with the chance of involvement – and a podium push – from the 4x100.

These will be the first worlds held in the United States, at compact Hayward Field, with a capacity of less than 20,000. American’s fan base for track and field is small but passionate. A showcase for the sport to the unconverted, Muir asserts. “It's brilliant to try and maintain that momentum, after Olympics, to elevate it even more.”

Five to watch at the World Athletics Championships:

Laura Muir (Women’s 1500 metres, starts: July 15): The Olympic silver medallist opens up in tonight’s heats with her sights set on a medal. Kenya’s incredible Faith Kipyegon stands in her way but the Scot has vowed to challenge.

Sifan Hassan (Women’s 10000m, Final: July 16): After striking two golds and a bronze in her gruelling triple shot in Tokyo, the Dutchwoman plans to defend her 10000m title. Eilish McColgan has the form to crack the podium.

Josh Kerr (Men’s 1500m, July 16): With fellow Scots Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley, the Tokyo bronze medallist wants more glory. Norway’s amazing Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the man to fear.

Dina Asher-Smith (Women’s 200m, July 18): The Brit is defending champion and fuelled by her injury at the Olympics. But Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson recently logged the third-quickest time in history.

Keely Hodgkinson (Women’s 800m, July 21): Still only 20, the Wigan wonder’s Olympic silver has spurred her to new heights. She’ll renew her rivalry with American Athing Mu with Scots hope Jemma Reekie in the mix.