Laura Muir insists she is in medal shape to take on the greatest 1500m runner in the history of the sport.
Britain’s Olympic silver medalist tonight lines up alongside Faith Kipyegon admitting she is “the greatest in the history of the sport - and getting faster”.
But she says: “I’m also getting faster. You have to be in 3.54/3.55 shape to medal and I’m very close.” Muir ran her fastest time of the year to come through her semi-final and, when asked if her rivals are now scared of her, smiled: “They know I’m around.”
Muir struggled with a hip injury earlier this year, but believes she is now back to her best. “I guess it just does give me a lot of confidence in myself that I’ve been here, done it before,” she said.
“You have competed at a global and I have been on that podium. So, it’s fantastic to have that experience under my belt already and know that regardless of how things go in the future, I will always have an Olympic medal.
“It just gives me a lot of confidence. I don’t feel like I have to prove myself.”
Adam Gemili begins his 200m campaign with the distraction of his coach having been cautioned by police for gaining unauthorised access to the athlete warm-up area. Rana Reider is under investigation by the US Center for SafeSport organisation for alleged sexual misconduct, which he denies, and his accreditation has been blocked by World Athletics.
Security tried to usher him off the premises but he refused to leave and police then intervened. A statement from World Athletics read: “Event security discovered an unaccredited person in the athlete warm up area. He was asked to leave, and he refused.
“Police were immediately notified and went to remove him from the venue. When he observed police officers approaching him, he left the venue. Outside the venue, he was stopped by police and advised that if he returned to the venue he would be arrested for trespassing.”
