by Stuart Weir
Jemme Reekie, Muller Indoor GP, Feb. 15, 2020, photo by Getty Images/ British Athletics
Jemme Reekie set a British NR (and Scottish NR) of the 800m in 1:57.91 on Jan.25 in Glasgow. On Feb. 8, in the famed NY Armory, Jemme Reekie took third in the Wanamaker mile, setting NRs in 1,500m (4:00.52) and Mile (4:17.58). On Feb 15, Jemma Reekie was to race in Glasgow over 1,500m. Stuart Weir wrote this piece.
Jemma Reekie
You may not know who Jemma Reekie is but you will. Mark my words! Jemma is Laura Muir’s training partner. On 1 February she accompanied Laura on a low key 800m race at the Scottish National Combined Events Championship. She ran with/behind Laura and then – the up-start – she overtook Laura to finish in 1:57.91, more that 3 seconds faster than her PR. Then she went to the Millrose and finished third in the mile in 4.17.88, the sixth fastest indoor mile of all time. Elle Purrier who won the Millrose mile and Konstanze Klosterhafen who was second are among the five who have run faster than Reekie. To put her 800 time in context, Ajee Wilson won the 800 at the Millrose in 1:58.29.
In the Müller Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow Reekie was in the 1500m, against a field which included Dawit Seyaum and Axumawit Embaye of Ethiopia as well as the Moroccan, Rababe Arafi.. Reekie ran a cautious race settling in 5-10 meters off the pace. Reekie moved into second on the final lap and outsprinted Seyaum to win in 4:04.07. Reekie had finished 19th in her heat at the Doha World Championships in 4:12.51 – that performance now seems light years away!
Jemma Reekie, Glasgow, Feb 15, 2020, photo by Getty Images / British Athletics
Reekie said afterwards: “It was a good race and a good confidence boost. I try to focus on myself out there because I’ll only ever work with the pressure that I put on myself and I don’t feel it off other people. I’m 21-years-old and loving every minute of it. I was here two years ago and got a good cheer off the crowd but the one I got today was bigger and I feel proud of myself for it and enjoyed every minute of being out there.I always used to say I like slipping under the radar but Laura said last week I’d have to get used to not slipping under the radar any more. But I’m still just Jemma and I love doing what I have been doing since the age of nine, I do this because I love it and I’m learning so much from it both as an athlete and a person”.
Laura Muir, Glasgow, Feb 15, 2020, photo by Getty Images / British Athletics
Laura Muir, meanwhile was running a 1000 meters in an advertised World Record attempt. I suspect she was just doing it to avoid Jemma Reekie! Muir won comfortably in 2.33.47 so Maria Mutola’s 1999 world record of 2:30.94 remains intact – as does Laura’s own GB record of 2:31.93. Afterwards Muir told BBC TV “I thought I went through the first 400m ok. I was a little down at 600m and oh that last lap was so sore. I just wanted to run as hard as I could. I think from where I am at, I am happy with that but I would have loved to have broken that world record. Almost but not quite – it would have been great to have done it here. It’s always a great atmosphere here. That’s me done for the indoors. I’ll be back out training in the wind and rain tomorrow”.
Britain and Scotland are very fortunate to have two such outstanding middle-distance runners.
