Without Russia’s renegades in Rio, Laura Muir’s path to Olympic gold has a few less obstacles to surmount. That Sweden also barred her rival Abeba Aregawi following a positive test earlier this year further smoothed the road. It remains the best of Kenya and Ethiopia she fears most. Plus the nagging suspicion that she might still be blockaded by a foe running surreptitiously outside the lines.
The 23-year-old gets one final rehearsal ahead of her departure for Brazil when she competes over 1500 metres at the Muller Anniversary Games in London this evening. The ruling from CAS that affirmed Russia’s exclusion from international competition has cast a shadow even over the illumination of Usain Bolt, an illustration that Seb Coe’s decontamination project remains far from complete.
For those busting a gut to self-improve, more assurances will demanded to ensure their toil is not in vain. “I know myself, I’ve raced against people who are not clean,” Muir said. “It’s not nice. I know I’m 100 per cent clean. I believe in myself and I know I’ve worked really hard, You just have to not compare yourself to other people and when you run a really good time, you can’t let it be spoiled by what other people have done.
“It’s hard when medals up for grabs, if one of them has ended up where it shouldn’t be. But I know I’ve got a clean conscience and I’ve nothing to worry about. I’m just hoping in years to come, clean athletes will get what they deserve.”
Muir will face fellow Scots Eilish McColgan and Steph Twell as well as European silver medallist Sifan Hassan as she pursues a maiden Diamond League victory of this campaign. Finishing fifth in her previous excursion over her Olympic distance in Stockholm last month, she insists there was a method in mind.
“We decided not to chase the pacemaker and just run the race because that’s what championship races are like,” the UK champion said. “It was good to shock the system and get used to racing in that way ahead of Rio.”
Elsewhere, Chris O’Hare and Jake Wightman will square off in the mile while
Eilidh Doyle bids to stay top of the Diamond Race points standings in the 400m hurdles with the now-deposed European champion among several contenders who will harbour hopes of moving onward to capture the Olympic crown.
“Although there’s nobody dominating the event as there has been over the past couple of years, there are plenty of people hovering,” she confirms. “There are a lot of us around the same kind of times and same sort of pace. If you look at the Diamond Leagues, there’s been a lot of different winners. That all makes it more interesting.”
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