Amy Jones & Danni King & Kiesha Dosanjh
·4-min read
Great Britain's long-distance star Laura Muir is ready to set the track alight in the women's 1500m final at the Paris Olympics this weekend. The Scottish sensation breezed her way through to the semi-finals after finishing second in her heat at Stade de France.
She finished with an impressive time of 3:58.91, seven one hundredths of a second behind Ethiopia’s heat winner Gudaf Tsegay. Although the athlete 'always makes the final,' she insisted she wasn't taking anything for granted.
“I’ve been here many times before and always made the final but I never took it for granted. All the focus is on reaching that final.” After winning silver in Tokyo three years ago, Laura will be hoping to one up that, aiming to take home the gold for Team GB.
Away from the track, here's a glimpse into the life of Laura Muir. Born on 9 May 1993 in Inverness, Scotland, and raised in Milnathort, Perth and Kinross from the age of three, Muir shared her childhood with her younger brother Rory, both attending Kinross High School. Her academic pursuits led her to the University of Glasgow, where she graduated in veterinary medicine in 2018.
In 2023, the university honoured her with an honorary degree, a testament to her achievements both on and off the track. Overjoyed by the recognition, Laura shared a delightful snap on her social media, captioning it: "It felt very surreal returning to the grounds where I graduated as a Veterinary Surgeon 5 years ago, certainly did not expect to be back and so soon!
"A very special day surrounded by incredibly inspiring people and to have my name along side them was a huge honour. I cannot thank the University of Glasgow and the School of Veterinary Medicine for all their support both during and after my studies. Does this mean I can call myself Dr 2 now?"
In recognition of her remarkable achievements, Laura has not only bagged herself an additional degree but also had a street named after her in Milnathort, with the road being christened Muir Way as a tribute.
The Olympian took to social media to share the exciting news, gushing that the village is "such a special place" alongside a photo of herself posing with the street sign.
The athlete also has an impressive net worth alongside her name, estimated to be in the range of £750,000 to £4 million. In 2021 it was reported the star had raked in £1 million from her success on the track. Accounts for her company, Laura Muir Running Limited, show she has already made a fortune from her eight-year professional career, the Express reported.
The publication stated: "The firm declared total assets of £878,313 for 2020 – up almost £100,000 from the previous year. The company owed creditors £93,519, leaving Laura with shareholder funds of £784,794. In 2019, shareholder funds were £588,536."
As you'd expect from an Olympic runner, Laura's diet is pretty strict and she chooses not to drink alcohol, but it doesn't seem to bother her. In a previous chat with Runner's World, she revealed: "It's not something I've been overly bothered by. If someone gave me the option of drinking chocolate milk or wine, I'd choose the milk."
While protein shakes are known for aiding muscle growth, Laura shared that she tends to limit these to her recovery period post-competition, preferring to stick to natural options like water and a banana. She also revealed that she doesn't drink coffee. "I tried it once but it made my heart race," she admitted.
In a candid chat with The Guardian back in 2018, Laura shared her minimalistic approach to medication: "There is medication out there that is perfectly fine to take like paracetamol but if something is sore I don't want to mask it. Yeah, you can take something if your Achilles flares up but I like to work through the pain."
Laura's athletic prowess has seen her compete at the Olympic Games not once, but twice. She made a splash in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, finishing seventh, and then went on to clinch a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
To commemorate her Olympic success, Laura inked the iconic five rings on her wrist, a tattoo she'd been mulling over since the 2016 games. She took to Instagram to show off her new tat, confessing to her fans that she had initially planned to get it after her first Olympics but had "chickened out".
But Laura's achievements aren't limited to the Olympics; she's also left her mark on the World Athletic Championships, Commonwealth Games, and World Indoor Championships, among others. She smashed the British 1500m record in July 2016 and then updated her own record at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
