Muir's former coach handed three-year ban for misconduct

The coach who guided Laura Muir to Olympic and world championship medals has been banned for three years for serious misconduct, including driving at speed with an athlete in his car after a disagreement before abandoning them at the roadside.

- Sean Ingle

Andy Young, who also coached Jemma Reekie to fourth place in the 800m at the Tokyo Games, was found by two independent panels to have placed performance above athlete welfare, ignored medical advice and used manipulative and coercive behaviour towards those he coached.

The 48-year-old, who was UK Athletics' performance coach of the year in 2016, was also found to have made an athlete train when they had foot pain that turned out to be a stress fracture, and threatened to exclude athletes from training or races if they did not comply with his demands. His ban was backdated to his suspension in 2023, so he will be able to return to coaching in April next year.

"Mr Young could be very forceful to the point of exerting pressure so severe that it amounted to manipulation or bullying," the initial independent panel found in its written judgment. "This resulted in athletes feeling that they had no realistic option but to acquiesce to his wishes if they wished to remain within his training group."