Laura Muir believes she is ready to set a new 1000m world record.
The Scot is aiming to break Maria Mutola’s 24-year mark at the World Indoor Tour in Birmingham on Saturday.
Muir, who won 1500m silver at the Tokyo Olympics and World Championships bronze last year, ran the second fastest time in history over 1000m in 2017 in Birmingham and set a British and European record of two minutes 31.93 seconds.
She fell short of Mutola’s mark of two minutes 30.94 seconds on that occasion, but the 29-year-old feels in the right shape now.
“I feel I’m in a really good spot. I was fortunate the last time I competed in the kilometre in Birmingham I got the European record, so hopefully I can go one further,” said Muir, who is also preparing for next week’s European Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
“I’ve had a couple of shots at the K, I’m getting a better feel for it.
“It’s definitely tricky, it’s nasty. It’s running a 800m and keeping going. It’s the most painful of the distances I’ve competed. I’ve got the 800m speed but I’ve also go that bit of endurance.
“In 2017 I was delighted. I wanted to get the British record and ended with the European one as well. I wasn’t really targeting the world record then. It was a really tough race.
“I’ve raced the K a couple of times since then, Glasgow indoors but I wasn’t quite as fit then, and once outdoors in Monaco where I actually ran faster than the time indoors. It’s good to know I can physically run faster than the world record indoors.
“This is the first time running the K where I’ve actually run the time before. I know physically I can do it.
“Sometimes you have to not overly obsesses about it. You have to stay relaxed, not tense up. It’s about keeping on pace but staying relaxed, and when you run relaxed you run faster. It’s always going to hurt when you’re racing.”
Keely Hodgkinson also runs in the 800m but played down any hopes of breaking Jolanda Ceplak’s world record of one minute 55.8 seconds set on March 3, 2002 – the day she was born.
“It’s a very hard record to break and I just need to do my best this weekend. I feel I’m in pretty good shape and if it was a smooth race I could get close to it. I’d like to give it a shot but my aim is to beat my own British record,” said the 20-year-old.
“If you are trying to go for a record, don’t force it because it puts you under more stress and it runs away from you, rather than coming towards you.”
Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita face off in the 60m, with Adam Gemili racing in the men’s event and Josh Kerr competing in the 1500m.
