Five-time European champion Laura Muir has opened up in the interview with the Scottish Athletics on the resurgence of Jemma Reekie who has broken some of her record.
Muir explained how she has worked tenaciously with her coach Andy Young for nine years to be a ‘guinea pig’ to develop a training template to have allowed 22-year-old fellow Scot Reekie joined their elite training group in 2015 and other to flourish.
Reekie – who credits Muir as a “mentor” – broke British indoor records over 800m, 1500m and mile in February.
“It’s nice to think Andy and I started something significant,” said Muir, 27.
“Looking back, I was sort of the guinea pig for Jemma. Andy and I, in the early years, tried different things and looked to see what would work and what wouldn’t.
“Now we know what works – so there is a template there for Jemma, and others, to follow.”
Muir added: “Jemma can look at the bigger picture of the programme and say, ‘If I look at where Laura was at a certain stage [or age] and where she is now, then I can keep following the plan’.
“She is probably faster than I was at her age and stage.
“It is all about having trust in Andy and in the training.”
Muir, who is targeting a first Olympic medal at the rescheduled Tokyo Games in summer 2021, is convinced the Glasgow-based training group will continue to produce Scottish athletes capable of competing at the highest level.
“We now have a situation where we’ve a couple of younger ones in the group who are taking down age group records that were set by Jemma and myself,” she added.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that over the next few years we will have more athletes join the group and they will have success.”
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