Eight years after imploding in the Commonwealth final in Glasgow, the 29-year-old proved an emphatic winner in Birmingham

Much has changed for Laura Muir since the Commonwealth Games were held in her home city of Glasgow in 2014. On that occasion she was well placed coming into the home straight of the women’s 1500m but was baulked slightly, lost her momentum and faded to a dismal 11^th.

Eight years later she is stronger, faster, tactically astute and the Commonwealth 1500m final in Birmingham was hers to lose. The 29-year-old from Scotland left nothing to chance either as she kept her cool during the slow early stages and then made a decisive break with 500m to go to win in 4:02.75 from Ciara Mageean of Northern Ireland (4:04.14) and Abbey Caldwell of Australia (4:04.79) as Muir’s training partner Jemma Reekie was the next best home nations athlete in fifth.

“I just knew that I could do it and it was just a matter of being very, very patient,” said Muir, looking back at her journey from Glasgow 2014 to Birmingham 2022. “An eight-year wait is a long time, but I knew it was there and I had to have patience at the right time. So to come here and win gold is more than I ever dreamed of.”

The early pace was pedestrian as Jess Hull of Australia passed 400m in 67.82 and Mageean led through 800m in 2:15.42. The runners were bunching but, moving up from the back, Muir managed to get herself in a good position to strike and she let rip with 500m to go, injecting a 200m of 28.2 with only Mageean strong enough to go with her.

Even Mageean, who was enjoying the race of her life, could not live with the Scottish athlete, though, as she covered the last 500m in 75.4 (3:46 pace!) and the final 800m in 2:03.4 to win in emphatic style.

“I just thought my strength is in my kick and I just tried to trust it and hope nobody would catch me,” said Muir. “I ran as hard as I could to the line.”

The victory came just 24 hours after she had won 800m bronze, too. Unusually she then enjoyed two medal ceremonies on Sunday night as her 800m medals presentation was delayed for one day due to a protest in the two-lap race.

Mageean had suffered calf problems and Covid in the run-up to these Games and said: “I am so happy my face is sore from smiling. I’m going to have a sore head from the smiles.

“It’s always tough racing Laura, so it was a great day and an honour. It wasn’t a fast race by any means but I really wound up at the end, so it was a good day.”

“That final lap was sore! I made a move and tried to hold it as best possible.” @lauramuiruns on how she became Commonwealth 1500m champion, being a roommate with @EilishMccolgan and representing @scotathletics ????????

? @TimAdams76 #B2022 pic.twitter.com/bieE2klRRa

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 7, 2022

Kinyamal takes 800m title as Pattison wins bronze

A little like the world final in Eugene, the men’s 800m in Birmingham was an easily forgettable race which was won by Wycliffe Kinyamal in a slow 1:47.52.

The Kenyan rumbled through the bell in 55.57 while English duo Ben Pattison and Jamie Webb and Scotland’s Guy Learmonth battled behind for a good position.

It would have benefited from Max Burgin to take the race by the scruff of the neck and to lead the runners through the bell in 50 seconds or quicker. Such tactics would probably have helped Pattison, too, who got horribly boxed and was seventh with 600m to go before clawing his way through to third place in 1:48.25 behind Kinyamal and runner-up Peter Bol. After a season filled with such promise, Pattison probably deserved more.

Credit to Kinyamal, though, as the champion from the Gold Coast in 2018 successfully defended his crown by simply holding off his rivals from the front. Bol, who was born in South Sudan but runs for Australia, could not quite match Kinyamal’s strength in the closing stages.

Behind, Pattison won the scrap for bronze just ahead of Webb, with Learmonth in sixth as a flurry of modest 1:48 times covered positions three to eight.

Burgin, who is still recovering from the deep vein thrombosis that kept him out of these championships, must have been a frustrated viewer on television, not only for himself but for his friend Pattison, who he sent good luck messages to before the event.