Laura Muir was initially planning to defend just one of her titles at the Glasgow 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships but the reigning 1500m and 3000m champion made the decision last month to contest both events.
“It’s Glasgow and if it had been anywhere else I may not have done it,” said Muir who trains at the Emirates Arena, the venue for the European Indoor Championships. “I’m the defending champion so if I could do the double again it would be fantastic.”
The timetable isn’t entirely cooperative as the 1500m heats take place on the same evening as the 3000m final on the first night but Muir withstood a heavier schedule in Belgrade two years ago, racing four times in three days (there were also heats in the 3000m) and coming away with championship records in both events.
Her range and versatility is such that Muir would have been the possible favourite in the 800m - she leads the European lists with a Scottish record of 1:59.50 - but the home favourite will be attempting the same double which she achieved two years ago.
Muir arrives at the championships in sparkling form, setting world leads in the mile (4:18.75) and the 5000m (14:52.02) in the build-up. Not only does Muir have strength in abundance, the 25-year-old showed astonishing closing finishing speed at the SPAR British Indoor Championships in Birmingham, covering the last 400m in an unofficial 56.9 to win the 3000m in 8:48.03.
Laura Muir moves to third on the world indoor all-time mile lists with 4:18.75 in Birmingham!
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) February 16, 2019
G. Dibaba 4:13.31
Melinte 4:17.14
Muir 4:18.75
Ivan 4:18.99
Hassan 4:19.89
Klosterhalfen 4:19.98 pic.twitter.com/3lxb0oWfkb
Muir won’t be entirely unassailable during the championships as she is due to face the improving German Konstanze Klosterhalfen in the 3000m.
While Muir won the 1500m at the European Championships in Berlin last summer, Klosterhalfen was lacking form in the 5000m final at her home event due to injury but the German has clearly taken a liking to her new training environment in the United States and arrives in Glasgow unbeaten in 2019.
Klosterhalfen has set German records this year in the 1500m (4:02.70), mile (4:19.98) and 3000m (8:32.47). Her performance in the 3000m at the German Indoor Championships was also a world lead and long-striding Klosterhalfen showed improved finishing speed in Leipzig, covering the last 600 metres in 1:32.68 to defeat her domestic rival of many years Alina Reh.
Poland’s Sofia Ennaoui is a perennial threat in the 1500m and has taken big wins in Madrid and Ostrava this season while Melissa Courtney will challenge for a medal in the 3000m if she produces the form which brought her victory in Karlsruhe at the start of the month.
Based on recent form, there could be two gold medals for the hosts in the space of less than an hour on the first night as the 3000m is preceded by the conclusion of the pentathlon featuring Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Johnson-Thompson is the second highest scorer in history with a championship record of 5000 points from Prague four years ago, missing the world record by a tantalising 13 points.
Now based in Montpellier in France under the tutelage of Bertrand Valcin, Johnson-Thompson professed herself frustrated with her performances at the French Indoor Championships in Miramas last weekend but she has performed well in other competitions this winter, winning two medals at the British Indoor Championships and clearing 1.93m in the high jump in January.
Reigning world and European champion Nafissatou Thiam from Belgium will sadly be missing from the championships as she recovers from injury but Johnson-Thompson will renew her rivalry with Austria’s Ivona Dadic who won silver behind the Brit at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham last March.
The world lists are currently headed by France’s European U20 100m hurdles champion Solene Ndama, 20, who showed her combined events prowess by scoring 4672 points. Ndama is planning to contest both the 60m hurdles and pentathlon in Glasgow.
Two other outstanding multi-event prospects will also be competing in Glasgow: Ukraine’s Alina Shukh and Spain’s Maria Vicente. Shukh, the reigning European U20 heptathlon champion, won the Ukrainian title with a lifetime best of 4581 points while Vicente, 17, secured the final qualifying slot with a national senior record of 4413 points to win the Spanish indoor title.
Full pentathlon line-up for the European Indoor Championships.
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) February 20, 2019
Johnson-Thompson
Dadic
Vetter
Krizsan
Ndama
Shukh
Maudens
Emerson
Preiner
Klucinova
Ikauniece
Vicente #Glasgow2019 pic.twitter.com/CVdLEoxtCG