LAURA MUIR RUNS 5000M AT GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Laura Muir will compete in the 5,000 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer, stepping up in distance from her usual 1,500 metres event. The Scottish runner told BBC Scotland that running the longer distance aims to strengthen her endurance ahead of major competitions over the next two years. Muir won 1,500 metres gold for Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, but that event is not scheduled at Scotstoun Stadium for the Glasgow Games.

Muir stated that the 1,500 metres event is "getting tougher and tougher" and that she wants to be "as strong as possible" for upcoming world championships next year and the 2028 Olympic Games. She described the 5,000 metres as "part of the bigger picture" and "a little bit of an experiment year". Muir was defeated in the 1,500 metres at the British Championships last week by fellow Scottish runner Sarah Calvert, who will also compete for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

Team Scotland has named a 39-strong track and field squad for the Glasgow Games. The team includes Olympic silver medallist Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman, who won the British 800 metres title last week and is a former world champion, and Eilish McColgan, the defending Commonwealth 10,000 metres champion. Paralympic champion and world record holder Ben Sandilands leads the para-athletes competing for Scotland at the Games.