Laura Muir says her coach Andy Young “has done a phenomenal job” in helping steer her through an historic 2020.
With the Olympics postponed until next year due to Covid-19, middle-distance runner Muir became the quickest in the world over 1500m this season.
She shared Scottish Athletics performer of the year with Jemma Reekie and Jake Wightman and Reekie and Muir’s coach Young won the performance coach award.
“It was really hard for him,” Muir, 27, told Scottish Athletics.
“And it was even harder when we were asking him all the time for updates and confirmation and he was not in a position to be able to give us the answers. You can’t because you just don’t know.
“He likes a spreadsheet yet I think this year spreadsheets went out of the window. Multiple times. It was so challenging for him and for our agent, Stefan, to sort out races and travel and training – with lots of changes along the way. I cannot imagine what it was like.”
Young also coaches Reekie and Muir said it was “nice to share” her recent award with Reekie and Wightman.
“I honestly could not call it,” she added. “I couldn’t see how it would go.
“Some years you have a pretty good idea of who might be the outstanding contender for athlete of the year. You get a feeling in advance.
“I just thought, ‘that’s a really nice and fair decision’. I feel the three of us performed so well but in different ways. Whether it was 800m or 1500m or both distances, there were some great performances.”
