Middle-distance runner shows fine form ahead of this weekend’s Spar British Championships

Laura Muir improved her Scottish indoor 800m record to 1:59.50 at the IAAF World Indoor Tour event in Torun on Wednesday when she finished one hundredth of a second behind Habitam Alemu of Ethiopia.

Muir, who is due to compete in this weekend’s Spar British Championships in Birmingham ahead of the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow next month, improved her record from 1:59.69 set in Glasgow just over 12 months ago.

The 25-year-old sat off the early pace and went through halfway in fifth place but moved up strongly to challenge Alemu in the closing stages, narrowly missing out on the victory.

Her time moves her to No.4 equal on the UK all-time rankings with Jo Fenn. The British record-holder Jenny Meadows was commentating on the official video stream with Kris Temple and was relieved her 1:58.43 national best survived.

Kelly Holmes and Marilyn Okoro sit second and third on the UK all-time rankings.

Elsewhere at the Polish meeting, Erik Sowinski of the United States took the men’s 800m in 1:47.49 as Britain's Elliot Giles was fourth in 1:48.22.

Juan Miguel Echevarria of Cuba won the long jump with a first-round leap of 8.12m and Orlando Ortega of Spain the men’s 60m hurdles in an equal world lead of 7.49, while Samuel Tefera ran a 1500m world lead of 3:35.57.

There was delight for the home crowd too as Ewa Swoboda of Poland ran 7.15 to narrowly beat Marie-Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast in the women’s 60m as Imani Lansiquot of Britain was third in 7.23.

Over in Sabadell, Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia also showed fine early season form with 3:59.08 for 1500m.

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