LAURA Muir has credited Paula Radcliffe with a timely pre-season boost as she prepares to continue her storming start to the season with a maiden appearance at the illustrious Bislett Games in Oslo.

The 22-year-old from Milnathort, who will take part in her favoured 1500m in the Norwegian capital, has admitted it took her a long time to get over the twin disappointments of missing out on the medals at last year's Commonwealth Games and European Championships. But some kind words from the Olympian, who is part of the British Athletics endurance coaching team, and was in Glasgow for the Women's 10k in May, have helped her hit the ground running this season. Muir has run personal bests at 3000m and 800m in Hengelo and Birmingham respectively and will aim to better her own national 1500m record in Norway on Thursday night as she builds up to the World Championships in Beijing in August.

Radcliffe said she felt the Scot was "an amazing talent" and Muir's coach Andy Young, made sure the middle distance runner noted the comments. Soon afterwards the 22-year-old was opening the season with one of the best 3000m runs ever by a Scottish woman, the second fastest time over that distance in the world this year.

"I read what Paula Radcliffe said recently about me," said Laura, who has followed up her 8.38.47 in Holland with 4.00.61 in Italy at 1500m and then an 800m PB of 2.00.42 in Birmingham last Sunday. "It appeared in a couple of Scottish papers and my coach pointed it out for me. He wanted to make sure I saw it.

"Paula was very supportive and encouraging and that was great to see," Muir added. "She is someone with such a good reputation and so much experience that you take heart from something like that being said about you. Hopefully I can back up her kind words with more good performances this summer."

Now Muir heads into her third high-class race in eight days in the 50th anniversary running of the Bislett Games, a venue synonymous with the best in middle distance running.

"I've never been to the Oslo event and it is one of the special ones on the programme so I am really looking forward to it," she said. "I was pleased with the 800m run but I feel annoyed now I did not get a PB in Rome in the 1500m as that would have been three in a row! I was pretty close to it on the night in Italy, too. I watched it back and was pleased how I attacked it.

"On Sunday the start was very quick and I had to work hard to get in touch initially," she added. "But I know now sub two minutes is on the cards for me at some point - because I ran quite wide there at a couple of points in the race.

"There was no helping it, really, but I ran a little bit further than 800m as it transpired. And it was a little bit windy and with tired legs. So I think I can improve that 800m PB and get under two minutes."

As is often the case with Muir, juggling university commitments with athletics has been a balancing act. The 22-year-old is studying to be a vet at the Glasgow vet school, and her schedule leaves only limited time for sight-seeing at the European capitals on the Diamond League circuit. "The way the race plan panned out it was a wee bit of a later start to the season - I also had Uni exams to sit,' she said. "We wanted to go back to Hengelo after running well there last year and the 3000m went well this time. We knew what we wanted to do months in advance and the season is going well so far. We did manage to do a bit of sight-seeing in Rome last Friday. It was fun and you have to relax at some point!"

Muir is not the only Scot in action on the night. European champion Eilidh Child heads into her third Diamond League 400m hurdles in eight days in Oslo and Steph Twell, after her first appearance on the track at this level for two years in Birmingham at 1500m, reverts to her favoured 5000m in Oslo chasing a second qualifying standard for the World Champs after a good run in America earlier in the season which met GB selection requirements.