Denise Lewis and Kelly Sotherton hail Laura Muir and Great Britain’s new wave of golden girls ahead of World Championships
OLYMPIC stars Denise Lewis and Kelly Sotherton have hailed the new wave of golden girls coming through ahead of this summer’s World Championships – led by Laura Muir.
Muir, 23, became only the second woman in history to win the distance double at the European Indoors last weekend, clinching the 1500m and 3,000m titles within 24 hours, an effort which meant four races in three days for the first senior medals of her career.
Denise Lewis and Kelly Sotherton hailed the next generation of GB golden girls
She now plans to double up at the Worlds in London in August with the 1500m and 5,000m.
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Britain also has Asha Philip, who won European Indoor 60m gold in Belgrade, European 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, who is targeting London to return from an ankle injury, and heptathlete Kat Johnson-Thompson – aiming to follow in the footsteps of Lewis, the Olympic champion in the event in 2000 and Sotherton who won Olympic bronze four years later.
And despite the sport’s poster girl Jessica Ennis-Hill hanging up her spikes last year after adding Olympic heptathlon silver to her gold at London 2012, the duo insist this summer is set to be the girls’ games.
Lewis, who won two world championship silvers, said: “Laura is a different athlete to the one we saw a couple of years ago with the maturity, the confidence, the experience she has gained.
Laura Muir celebrates winning the gold medal during the Women’s 3000 metres final on day three of the 2017 European Athletics Indoor ChampionshipsGetty ImagesGold medalist Asha Philip of Great Britain poses during the medal ceremony for the Women’s 60 metres on day three of the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships at the Kombank ArenaGetty ImagesDina Asher-Smith in action in the 200m during day five of the IAAF World Championships in BeijingPA:Press AssociationAsher-Smith celebrates her victory in the Women’s 200m race at the European Athletics Championships on July 7, 2016Getty Images
“The way she won in Belgrade was jaw-dropping. You had no doubt that she would achieve the double.
“She has high inspirations of doubling up in London but you just think – why not. She’s so gutsy.
“Dina has time enough to get back and still be a force to be reckoned with. What we have at the moment in women’s sprinting is this rich depth.
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“Dina not being in Belgrade gave Asha the chance to take the event by the scruff of its neck with a gold medal and a British record.
“The good thing is there are girls winning medals and there is a strength and depth. When I came through there were so few.
“I think these women have an inner determination. They do think they can have it all and why not? This new generation think it’s there for the taking and that excites me. The women seem to be leading the way.”
Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain competes in the Women’s Heptathlon at Rio 2016Getty Images
Sotherton said: “Laura can be a real superstar. People are saying what will happen now Jess has gone and Mo finishes on the track this summer and that there will be a big hole. But I think Britain is in a very healthy place with female athletes.
“Laura is already halfway there and if she can replicate some of the things she did at the weekend this summer she will just fly.
“The girl sprinters are doing better than the guys and get more empowered by the more success they have.
“There are a lot of young girls coming through together and they get the courage and confidence to push on and they know they have to step up now. We have a new breed.”
* Tickets for the 2017 World Para Athletics and World Championships London 2017 are on sale at 10am on Wednesday at tickets.london2017athletics.com
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