The fruitful partnership between Laura Muir and her coach Andy Young was last night thought to be over after a reported split between the Olympic medallist and her long-time mentor.
UK Athletics confirmed that Muir and her training partner Jemma Reekie have quit their training camp in South Africa to return to the UK, just a week after the 29-year-old added another title with a gold at the European Indoor Championships.
Young had built a centre of excellence in Glasgow with Muir as his star pupil by earning a medal at all five major championships – including 1500 metres silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as well as a gold at last summer’s Commonwealth Games.
The trained vet has continued to go from strength to strength and is now targeting a world championship crown in Budapest this summer.
However, Reekie’s form has imploded since coming fourth in the 800m in Tokyo following a bout of glandular fever last year.
And over the past 18 months, several young prospects have left the group to train elsewhere, including promising Scottish middle-distance pair Erin Wallace and Eloise Walker.
In a statement, UK Athletics said: “We can confirm that Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie left their altitude training location last week to return home to the UK.
“World Class Programme staff and services are continuing to work with both athletes to ensure they receive the support they require as they review their training and competition programmes for the season ahead.”
If there is no repairing the relationship, it would leave two of Scotland’s brightest stars seeking a new regime just 15 months out from the Paris 2024 Olympics.
But when reached in South Africa, Young denied claims that an argument had left to a rift with Muir.
“There was no bust up,” he said. “I think you would find the girls were worried about my health if you spoke to them. [They] felt I wasn’t looking after myself properly, maybe thought pressure was getting to me. I’d say they were reading too much into it.”
