Eilidh Child has spoken of how she tried to lift Laura Muir’s spirits after the Dundee athlete’s world indoor podium aspirations went up in smoke on Friday morning when she was eliminated in her 800m heat a result that left the 20-year-old student in tears.
Muir had been considered one of Britain’s brightest medal prospects after a brilliant indoor season that ranked her third in the world in both the 800m and 1,500m.
But her tactical inexperience was exposed when she was blocked on the opening lap of Friday’s first round and failed to recover.
Child, the GB&NI team captain in Poland, did her best to comfort the disconsolate Muir, even offering that great solace at times of distress or sadness chocolate.
“I said to Laura it could be a defining moment in her career, because we learn a lot more from our mistakes than we do from our victories,” said Child.
“Maybe not this year, but maybe in four years’ time she will look back and think, actually, that disappointment made her who she is.”
Muir, who won praise from double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes “as pretty dammed good for her age” before Friday’s race, eventually crossed the line in third, more than two seconds down on the winner.
Promoted to second after a disqualification, her time was still not good enough to advance.
It meant an early and unexpected exit for the one-time Kinross High pupil who has recalled looking up at the school honours board and seeing the same name cropping up Eilidh Child.
“Laura also spoke to Colin Jackson and Denise Lewis after her race,” said Child.
“Both started naming the years back in the ’90s when they said they made lots of mistakes, trying to help her that way. But some chocolate helped, too!”
In Muir’s defence, she is only 20 and told me recently that prior to the world outdoors in Moscow last year, she had hardly won a Scottish age-group title.
With a rash of gutsy personal bests and high-profile wins in the last two seasons she has come a long way in a short time.
Until these championships the only women above her on the 1,500m list, Genzebe Dibaba and Abeba Aregawi, both improved on the previous world record this year with Sweden’s Aregawi adding the indoor world title on Saturday.
Muir’s outstanding potential will tell in the end, said Child.
“It will, but she’s got to remember her age,” she said.
“But as an athlete, especially when you are ranked third in the world, you want to win every race.
“That’s great, but she is so young and new to the world stage, hopefully she won’t get herself too downhearted by this and remember everything she’s achieved this year.”