Laura Muir targets world championships after double double

The next step in Muir’s seemingly unstoppable path to global domination comes at the World Championships in Doha this September.

Asked what other steps she has to take before then, Muir said: “Not much more, I feel it’s there now. It’s a matter of maintaining now and making improvements where I can.

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“Since finishing my degree, we’ve made improvements in a few areas but they can always be improved more. Northing’s ever going to be perfect. There are little things and it’s matter of working really hard over the six months until Doha.”

“But we just need to keep doing what we’re doing. Because it’s working. I’ve got the indoor medals at European and world stage. I’ve got the outdoor medals on the European stage. All I’m missing now is a world stage medal. Hopefully that will come. Doha is that first step and i want to be on that podium. I’ve shown that I’m competitive at that level. I just want to perform when it matters. And I think I can do that this year.”

Prior to last night no woman had ever won both the 1500m and 3000m in back-to-back European Indoor Athletic Championships but Muir made that feat seem like the simplest thing in the world. While it was clear from the start lists that this was hers to lose, she essentially ran the perfect race. Controlling it from the front then putting the hammer down over the last two laps, she was only ever in first. Poland's Sofie Ennouai and Ciara Mageean of Ireland were second and third but in reality the Scot was in a race of her own here.

Muir is athletics royalty these days and this was a procession, so it was appropriate that she should wear the jewelled headwear, which was thrown onto the track by a fan.

After medal ceremonies, media responsibilities and doping controls, the Scot went off into the night speaking of the possibility of celebrating her triumph with a visit to the chippy with her parents Crawford and Alison, not to mention savouring the prospect of a rare day off from her coach Andy Young. It will probably be at least Wednesday until she is back in this same arena, putting in the hard yards in practice which have made her the phenomenon which she is today.

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“I think I’m getting tomorrow off,” she said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if I was back here on Wednesday or Thursday this week, then I’m getting a break at some stage in March.

“I’ve not seen my family very much. I’ve literally only seen them when I’ve been on TV - about a minute’s worth over the whole weekend! But they know I need to focus completely and zone everything out. Hopefully I see them later - and maybe get a chippy or something!”

The Scot is right to state confidence in her ability to deliver when it counts. Because in terms of putting pressure on herself, even world championships and Olympics might not have the same kind of stress as delivering this historic double double as an ambassador in her home city. An achievement which even Jakob Ingebritsen, the 18-year-old Norwegian wunderkind, was unable to emulate in the men’s 1500m, Muir is well aware that she has a target on her back these days. The only problem is that for the rest of the field, that target is often disappearing into the middle distance.

“It’s special,” she said. “I set myself a big task this weekend and as it came closer and closer, I was thinking ‘what have I done?’

“People were getting world leads and national records and the fields were much stronger than last time. But there was no way I wasn’t winning in front of this crowd and I’m so pleased I could do that.

“Nobody can take that away now. That’s it done. I’m the first person to do it. I’m just so pleased I could do it here with all my friends and family watching. To get those performances was really special.”

Things haven’t always run so smoothly when it comes to Muir and the big occasion. “I struggled for the first couple of years, going into events ranked in the top three, expected to come away with medals - and it wasn’t happening,” she said.“Now I’m ranked up there and I’m delivering. It’s a great place to be.

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“It means I’ve got a target on my back a lot of the time but I’ve shown that I can deal with that pressure. I can’t really imagine there being a more high-pressure environment than there was here over the past few days. And I’ve been cool as a cucumber. It bodes well for the next time I do compete under pressure. I know I can cope well and run well.”

Doubling up in the 1500m and 5000m at the World Championships is an impossibility, due to a schedule which has the finals within half an hour of each other. But such is Muir’s mastery of this 1500m that no-one else in the field could think of anyway to beat her.

“.I’m just so experienced now. With my ability, I know how hard I can push and what my other competitors can do. I’m at that stage now - I can show it in different races with different challenges. I had Plans A B C and D. That was Plan A.”