Latest news with #LauraMuir
Daily Mail
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
I feared that I'd never run again, says Scot who pipped Laura Muir at the post
New British 1500m champion Sarah Calvert has revealed how she feared her running career was over before it had really begun. The 24-year-old Scot produced the shock result of the UK Championships in Birmingham last weekend with victory over compatriot and Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir by five hundredths of a second. But now Calvert has recalled how she didn't run for a year in her mid-teens following surgery for scoliosis, a condition where the spine curves abnormally. At one stage in 2015, she didn't know if she would run again or achieve even moderate age-group success in athletics. Her recovery was gradual but senior Scottish titles in recent years at 800m and 1500m at Grangemouth hinted at more to come. Now the past few weeks have seen her on the podium at the World Universities in Germany — the first Scot to do so in individual events since 1997 — and then become British champion. 'When I was aged 15 I underwent surgery for scoliosis,' said the Livingston AC athlete and Edinburgh University student. 'It was a really tough and scary time in my life. I had metal rods inserted in my back and, yes, they are still there. 'My family and I went through a lot at that time and I couldn't do any exercise at all for a year. 'I remember at the time thinking when will I get back to running again, will I even be able to improve my personal bests? I was thinking: 'Will I ever run again?' 'Then, getting back, it took so long to be fit. I never knew if I would win races again and get to the top in my age groups.' Time proved a healer and, by 2017, she was winning medals at Scottish Schools events and Scottish Age Group championships. 'My injury history over the past years have probably all been connected to issues with my back,' added Calvert, who is coached by Luke Gunn and is part of the Edinburgh University endurance project in partnership with Scottish Athletics. 'I have to work with that and I do try to forget about what happened (in 2015 with the surgery). It does not affect me now. 'Nevertheless, I would not have expected to reach this level (British champion) in the sport, to be honest. 'But I suppose the way to look at it is: if I could overcome that, then I can overcome anything else which may come my way. 'I have had Achilles injuries and so on but it has not been my spine again — so somehow, sometimes, I've been able to think positively.' Her athletic dreams pre-dated the scoliosis diagnosis and, in fact, were nurtured by visits to Hampden for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. 'I've always had big dreams of going to major championships but I'm unsure if I ever really believed they were possible,' Calvert told BBC Scotland. 'Now I have the belief that, if I do keep training consistently, then this could be possible. I feel like I could write these goals down and try to achieve them next year. 'The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would be great because all my family and friends could come and watch me. It seems like something I don't want to miss out on. 'I remember going to watch Lynsey Sharp in the 800m when she won her silver medal [at Glasgow 2014] and I was so excited.
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Meet post-grad medic who stunned Muir at UK Champs
Up until last weekend, there's a fair chance you may not have heard the name Sarah Calvert. Yet, there's not much chance of the 24-year-old post-grad medicine student going under the radar now. Her spectacular arrival on the British middle-distance scene has changed everything. That also applies to the Livingston native herself thanks to her becoming Scotland's new UK 1500m champion after pipping Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir to the title in Birmingham. "It feels incredible," said Calvert. "I did not expect this ever to happen, but especially not with being busy in May studying for exams, that was pretty stressful for me. "As soon as I crossed the line I knew it was crazy. I knew this was the biggest moment of my life. Afterwards I had my first anti-doping test, so that was another good experience. "Since then I've had so many messages from people from school, from all my friends, from my parents' friends. It makes it all seem very special." Calvert's sporting status is such that she's now chasing fast races in Europe to try to make the British team for next month's World Championships. It's her social status that has taken her, and her family, by surprise due to her newly found fame. "My dad sent me a text yesterday to tell me I've got a Wikipedia page now, " she told BBC Scotland at Edinburgh's Meadowbank stadium, one of her regular training venues when she gives herself a break from her studies at Edinburgh University. "It's just kind of insane. I didn't really expect it to blow up like this." Winning one of the top events in the UK calendar will do that kind of thing for your profile. She now has an agent who is hunting down races to see if she can take six seconds off her personal best and run herself into the GB team for Tokyo at the World Championships. And while Calvert is ready to give it her best shot, her life amid the chaos at the moment is still grounded in reality. She wants to be a doctor, as well as an athlete, and has tried to walk the fine line between excelling at both. "Before last weekend I would have said absolutely no chance," she conceded of making the World Championships. "It still seems pretty far off because I need to run a big personal best. I think I just have to go for it. "I definitely feel busy, day to day, when I'm at uni. Training in the morning, cycling to hospital for my placement and then training in the evening again. But I enjoy both. "I often worry that I'm compromising running for medicine and then the other way around, but I think I just have to accept that I want to be a runner and I want to be a doctor at some point in my life. "So for now the best way for me to do it is to combine the two. I rarely have to miss training for medicine so I think I make it work pretty well." Dreams of Glasgow Quite the understatement, given the cream of British 1500m running couldn't contain her late surge down the final straight in Birmingham. Including her idol Muir, who also managed to balance her vet studies with a hugely successful athletics career. Being British champion – having already taken a silver medal at the recent World University Games - is already opening new doors for Calvert. Sponsors are getting in touch about endorsements, and if she does qualify for the World Championships, the global stage will lift her profile and marketability even further. And if Tokyo is a step too far, there's a big event on home soil next summer which she's already circling on the 2026 calendar. She already has the 800m qualifying time for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She's now targeting the 1500m time to maximise her chances. "I've always had big dreams of going to major championships but I'm unsure if I ever really believed they were possible," said the 24-year-old. "Now I have the belief that if I do keep training consistently then this could be possible. I feel like I could write these goals down and try to achieve them next year. "The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would be great because all my family and friends could come and watch me. It seems like something I don't want to miss out on. "It would mean so much to me. I remember going to watch Lynsey Sharp in the 800m when she won her silver medal [at Glasgow 2014] and I was so excited. I was just a young girl at Livingston Athletics Club and this was my first taste of what it could be like and what I could achieve when I was older. "I didn't ever think I'd be the one on the track there, but I won't turn down the opportunity and I'll make the most of it." 'It's crazy' - Calvert shocks Muir in biggest upset Kerr feels 'strong enough' to retain world title Asher-Smith and Hughes break records at UK Champs
BBC News
06-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Meet post-grad medic who stunned Muir at UK Champs
Up until last weekend, there's a fair chance you may not have heard the name Sarah Calvert. Yet, there's not much chance of the 24-year-old post-grad medicine student going under the radar now. Her spectacular arrival on the British middle-distance scene has changed everything. That also applies to the Livingston native herself thanks to her becoming Scotland's new UK 1500m champion after pipping Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir to the title in Birmingham."It feels incredible," said Calvert. "I did not expect this ever to happen, but especially not with being busy in May studying for exams, that was pretty stressful for me."As soon as I crossed the line I knew it was crazy. I knew this was the biggest moment of my life. Afterwards I had my first anti-doping test, so that was another good experience. "Since then I've had so many messages from people from school, from all my friends, from my parents' friends. It makes it all seem very special."Calvert's sporting status is such that she's now chasing fast races in Europe to try to make the British team for next month's World Championships. It's her social status that has taken her, and her family, by surprise due to her newly found fame."My dad sent me a text yesterday to tell me I've got a Wikipedia page now, " she told BBC Scotland at Edinburgh's Meadowbank stadium, one of her regular training venues when she gives herself a break from her studies at Edinburgh University."It's just kind of insane. I didn't really expect it to blow up like this."Winning one of the top events in the UK calendar will do that kind of thing for your profile. She now has an agent who is hunting down races to see if she can take six seconds off her personal best and run herself into the GB team for Tokyo at the World while Calvert is ready to give it her best shot, her life amid the chaos at the moment is still grounded in reality. She wants to be a doctor, as well as an athlete, and has tried to walk the fine line between excelling at both."Before last weekend I would have said absolutely no chance," she conceded of making the World Championships. "It still seems pretty far off because I need to run a big personal best. I think I just have to go for it. "I definitely feel busy, day to day, when I'm at uni. Training in the morning, cycling to hospital for my placement and then training in the evening again. But I enjoy both."I often worry that I'm compromising running for medicine and then the other way around, but I think I just have to accept that I want to be a runner and I want to be a doctor at some point in my life."So for now the best way for me to do it is to combine the two. I rarely have to miss training for medicine so I think I make it work pretty well." Dreams of Glasgow Quite the understatement, given the cream of British 1500m running couldn't contain her late surge down the final straight in Birmingham. Including her idol Muir, who also managed to balance her vet studies with a hugely successful athletics career. Being British champion – having already taken a silver medal at the recent World University Games - is already opening new doors for Calvert. Sponsors are getting in touch about endorsements, and if she does qualify for the World Championships, the global stage will lift her profile and marketability even further. And if Tokyo is a step too far, there's a big event on home soil next summer which she's already circling on the 2026 already has the 800m qualifying time for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She's now targeting the 1500m time to maximise her chances."I've always had big dreams of going to major championships but I'm unsure if I ever really believed they were possible," said the 24-year-old. "Now I have the belief that if I do keep training consistently then this could be possible. I feel like I could write these goals down and try to achieve them next year. "The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would be great because all my family and friends could come and watch me. It seems like something I don't want to miss out on."It would mean so much to me. I remember going to watch Lynsey Sharp in the 800m when she won her silver medal [at Glasgow 2014] and I was so excited. I was just a young girl at Livingston Athletics Club and this was my first taste of what it could be like and what I could achieve when I was older. "I didn't ever think I'd be the one on the track there, but I won't turn down the opportunity and I'll make the most of it."
BBC News
04-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'It's crazy' - Calvert shocks Muir in biggest upset
Sarah Calvert "didn't expect that to ever happen" as she beat Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir to the 1500m title in the biggest upset of the UK Athletics 24-year-old Livingston AC runner's personal best is 15 seconds worse than her fellow just as Muir looked to be bursting through on the inside to overtake Revee Walcott-Nolan and Erin Wallace in the final straight, Calvert powered past all three on the outside to win the biggest race of her been told that her victory was described as "unbelievable, the story of the weekend, a fairytale" during BBC Sport's live commentary, Calvert said: "I think they're pretty acurate." Her victory in Birmingham came a week after she took silver at the Summer World University Games in Germany."I thought last weekend at the world juniors was a big breakthrough, but this is crazy," she told Scottish Athletics."It's crazy. I didn't expect that to ever happen, never mind this year."With the UK Championships doubling as the British trials for the World Championships in Tokyo next month, it turned into a slow, tactical winning time of 4:16.27 was eight seconds slower than her own personal best, with England's Walcott-Nolan finishing third and Giffnock's Wallace edged into fourth."I know a slow, tactical race definitely plays into my hands," she added."These girls have much faster PBs than me, so if they went out to try to run 3.55, I wouldn't be able to stick with it, so when it goes slower, it levels out the playing field."
BBC News
03-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Kerr feels 'strong enough' to retain world title
Josh Kerr says it "shows I'm strong enough" to defend his 1500m title at September's World Championship in Tokyo after coasting to victory in the 5,000m at the UK Athletics Championships. With Kerr already assured of GB selection and not running his preferred distance, compatriot Neil Gourlay was crowned 1500m champion for a third year running on a day when Laura Muir suffered a shock defeat by Livingston's Sarah Calvert in the women's broke clear of Rory Leonard with two laps remaining to come in nine seconds clear of another Englishman, Jack what it meant for his world title defence at the shorter distance, Kerr told BBC Sport: "It's definitely on the cards. "It was a hard effort and spending 12 and a half laps out there is a bit different and a bit more than I'm expecting, but that mile push hopefully shows I'm strong enough for five weeks time."Kerr pointed out the strength of British middle distance running."This title's been British for about three or four years and it's hopefully going to stay British for the next couple of years and it's my job to do that," he said after his win at the event in Birmingham that doubled as the British trials."We have a fantastic set of 1500m guys going after it as well, so we are in a great spot in the UK."Gourlay proved himself best of the rest and said "it feels great" after beating Englishman Elliot Giles in a sprint finish to secure the British title for the fourth time in six years."It's a bit surreal having that longevity with all the people that have been coming and going through this event," he told Scottish Athletics."It's always the challenge to come and take care of business here in terms of qualification for the world championships, but the goal was certainly to win and it feels satisfying to do that today."To win the last three is quite something given the people I've ended up being up against over these years."Jemma Reekie booked her 800m place in the team for Tokyo, but the Scot had to be content with second spot behind in-form Englishwoman Georgia Hunter Alessandro Schenini took gold in the long jump, Kirsty Law won silver in the discus and Bera Ajala was third in the men's triple jump.
