Laura Muir scoops European bronze – nine years on

Vet and athlete Laura Muir is set to pick up another European medal nine years after the race was originally run.

The 30-year-old finished fourth in the 3,000m at the 2015 European Indoor Championships in Prague while she was still a student at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine.

But she has now been upgraded to the bronze medal after the race winner, Russia’s Yelena Korobkina, received a four-year ban last autumn for doping offences.

She also had all her results for a three-year period from July 2013-16, including the Prague event, annulled.

‘Mixed emotions’

In an interview on the Scottish Athletics website, Dr Muir admitted to having “mixed emotions” about the news.

She said: “Predominantly, I feel very fortunate and grateful to receive the bronze medal – particularly when still competing at an elite level, as I am aware many athletes are not afforded that opportunity.

“Had I received the medal on the day of the race in Prague in 2015, it would have been my first senior international medal at an age of 21 years old.

“Missing out on that special moment – especially as I was not on the podium on the night – was very difficult. But looking back, it made me more determined than ever to ensure the same outcome didn’t happen for future championships, which luckily has been the case.”

Rectified

A new medal ceremony is expected to take place in due course and Dr Muir said: “I cannot emphasise or explain how much it means to the athletes to have the results rectified and the medals awarded to those who compete within the rules of our sport.

“So I am very excited to see that particular European Indoors 2015 medal and it will have a proud place alongside my other sporting accomplishments.”

Dr Muir is now aiming to add to her haul of 14 major championship medals on home ground at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in early March before another tilt at Olympic glory in Paris this summer.