Lynsey breaks indoor 800 record in Boston

Saturday 13th February 2016

Lynsey Sharp (pictured at the Commonwealth Games by Bobby Gavin) has already made a great start to 2016

Lynsey Sharp has set a new Scottish indoor 800 record with a superb run in the United States.

The National outdoor record holder clocked 2.00.30 with victory at an event in Boston on Friday evening and, subject to the usual ratification process, that will give the Edinburgh AC athlete both records. Understand, also, that the 2.00.30 time is the fifth best on the British all-time indoor list.

It is the second time in 25 months this particular record has been broken. Laura Muir set the 800m indoor best for Scottish women just over two years ago when representing Scotland at the Emirates Arena with a run of 2.00.94.

Now Sharp, at the start of what could be a very exciting Olympic year, has lowered that further to add to the outdoor record she holds following a 1.57.71 run in Berlin last September (which broke her own existing outdoor record).

The news brought an incredible reaction across scottishathletics social media, with more than 600 likes on Facebook in less than 12 hours and a big response on Twitter, and Lynsey herself tweeted: ‘Broke the Scottish indoor 800m record tonight! And was World Lead for all of 45 minutes.’

Many congratulations to Lynsey, her family and her coaching team and all at Edinburgh AC who have been involved in her development down the years.

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Butchart to race in Glasgow

Meanwhile, Laura Muir will be back at the Emirates Arena again next week to race in the sold-out Glasgow Grand Prix at 800m.

A total of 43 World and Olympic medallists, including Great Britain’s Olympic and World champions Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford will compete in Glasgow, the final stop of the IAAF World Indoor Tour on Saturday 20 February.

Farah will compete against a strong international field in the 3000m including Kenya’s Paul Koech, Conseslus Kipruto and Augustine Choge. Scotland’s Andrew Butchart is also in that race. Rutherford faces Paralympic F44 champion Markus Rehm of Germany in the long jump.

The men’s 60m looks set to be one of the most competitive events of the day, as World and European champion Richard Kilty takes on British teammate Adam Gemili, 2003 world 100m champion Kim Collins, 2015 world 100m bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell, as well as the world’s top two in 2016, Mike Rodgers and Cuban Yunier Perez.

For Kilty, of course, it is a quick return to Glasgow after appearing at the Scottish Seniors recently – where he won gold in the 60m.

The women’s equivalent also features an exciting head-to-head as Britain’s fastest woman Dina Asher-Smith goes up against world 200m champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands.

And the home crowd will be sure to get behind local star Muir, who is coached by Andy Young, in the 800m. Laura of course went second on the British 1500m all-time list behind Dame Kelly Holmes with a run of 3.58.66 in Monaco last summer.