Laura Muir winning the 1000m at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham (© Getty Images)
Olympic 1500m silver medallist Laura Muir will have her eye on Maria Mutola’s world indoor 1000m record when she competes at the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final, part of the 2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series, at the Utilita Arena on 25 February.
It will be Muir’s first appearance back in front of a Birmingham crowd since she won 1500m gold and 800m bronze at this year's Commonwealth Games. The double world indoor medallist has enjoyed much success in the city and she achieved the second fastest time in history over the 1000m distance at the 2017 edition of the Birmingham indoor event. The time she set then was a British record 2:31.93, eclipsing Kelly Holmes’ previous mark. Only Mutola has ever gone quicker with 2:30.94.
"I have so many special memories from competing in Birmingham, so I am so very pleased to be coming back to race at the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final and targeting Maria Mutola’s world record," said Muir, who claimed world 1500m bronze in Oregon in July.
"It is a distance I have had a good history in over the years, and the British record in 2017 was a significant highlight in my career to date, so I look forward to seeing what I can lay down on the track next February.
“I always look forward to racing indoors in the UK, and it kicks off a big year for the sport. It is fantastic that the UK is hosting the World Indoor Tour Series Final, and it is great that all the athletes will get to compete in a brilliant atmosphere as there is nothing quite like a British crowd.”
The Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final is the last of the seven meetings that in 2023 will make up the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series. The season starts in Karlsruhe, Germany, on 27 January before stops in Boston, Torun, New York, Lievin, Madrid and then Birmingham.
Keely Hodgkinson and Jake Wightman have already been announced for the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final, while Katie Nageotte and Sandi Morris have been named for the Millrose Games in New York, and Mondo Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen have been announced for the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin.
For further information on the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final, visit the event website.
Organisers for World Athletics
