By Will Castle

Off the back of a gruelling bronze medal triumph in the world 1500m final earlier this month, Laura Muir says she is ‘looking forward’ to the European Championships in Munich.

A year after winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics, Muir clinched the first of seven medals won by Team GB at last week’s World Championships in Oregon, emerging with an impressive bronze after a demanding final.

The Scot clocked in at a season’s best of three minutes 55.28 seconds in Eugene, falling short to Kenya's Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, who took gold, while Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia claimed second.

While Muir’s performance was nonetheless formidable, up against two of the greatest female middle-distance runners in history, what made it even more remarkable was that two months ago, she was on crutches due to a stress fracture to her right femur, unable to run.

“It was the most significant injury I’ve ever had in my running career,” she said. “Two months I couldn’t run, two weeks on crutches. It was the longest time I’ve had off running since starting.

“We were lucky we caught it early. We knew something wasn’t right. We got some advanced imaging. Had it been a fracture it would have been me out for a long, long time.”

The 29-year-old is now looking to follow up her success at the Worlds, with both the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the European Championships in Munich on the horizon, as she looks to achieve her target of ‘running all three championships and winning a medal at all of them.’

For the second edition in 2022, the innovative competition brings together the existing championships of the continent’s leading sports into one multi-sport event to create a must-watch, must-attend experience that elevates the Champions of Europe.

The European Championships builds the prestige and profile of the individual championships by uniting them in one multi-sport event every four years.

The event inspires the next generation of young athletes through the power of sport – leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.

“I’m looking forward to going to Munich,” she said. “I’ve seen my situation around Birmingham described as ‘unfinished business’ and I have to agree with that because that is how I feel about it.

“I was very young at Glasgow 2014 but it still didn’t go the way I had hoped in that 1500m final at Hampden. Four years later, as Gold Coast 2018 came around, I was in the final stages of completing my degree at Glasgow University.

“So I’d dearly love to win a medal for Team Scotland at Birmingham 2022. Getting on that podium wearing the Scotland vest is very much a goal.

Muir added: “My family will be here and there’s a large contingent making travel plans. Family support means so much and I am really looking forward to having that backing in the Alexander Stadium.”

The multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022, featuring Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Cycling, Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Rowing, Sport Climbing, takes place 11th-21st August on the 50th anniversary of the Olympics Games in the Germany city. Buy tickets at tickets.munich2022.com