Laura Muir has welcomed the decision to ban her former coach Andy Young from athletics for three years after he was found guilty of ‘serious misconduct’.
UK Athletics (UKA) announced on Tuesday that a disciplinary panel had found 48-year-old Young — who was Muir’s coach when she won Olympic 1500 metres silver in Tokyo in 2021 — guilty of nine charges out of 39 he had faced, seven of them serious.
Among the misconduct found proven by the independent panels was that, ‘following a disagreement with one athlete, Young drove at speed with the athlete in his car then abandoned them by the roadside’.
The panel’s written decision of October 2024 was appealed, with an appeal panel confirming the original findings in full in August but varying the initial sanction from five years to three years, backdated to April 2023.
The original panel concluded Young had placed performance above athlete welfare, UKA said, and had ‘ignored medical advice’ and ‘used manipulative and coercive behaviour’ towards those he coached.
UKA said Muir waived her anonymity to confirm her involvement in the case, although athletes have not been named in relation to specific charges within the findings.
Laura Muir and then coach Andy Young back in 2013 as the young Scot was about to hit the big time
Muir went on to win global medals with Young as her coach before their relationship ended
Fellow Scot Jemma Reekie trained with Muir under Young but also quit that arrangement two years ago
The issues around Young came to light when Muir and world indoor medallist Jemma Reekie fled from a training camp in South Africa after a fallout in March 2023.
It was the last straw for a working relationship which delivered huge success but at a hefty emotional price, Muir has conceded in the past.
Young was also found to have required an athlete to compete against a physiotherapist’s advice and emotionally undermining those who raised concerns about injuries.
As well as the backdated three-year ban, Young is required to complete training on athlete welfare, medical collaboration, injury management, bullying and harassment.
Muir said: ‘I fully support the decisions reached by both independent panels and I am grateful that the process has been followed through so thoroughly.
‘I want to thank those who came forward and those who contributed to the process — it has not been easy, but it was necessary.
‘Athletics has always been my passion, and I am pleased to say that I have rediscovered the love of my sport and the enjoyment of training and working within a supportive and positive coaching environment.
‘I am now focused on the future, looking forward to the next few years of my career, and putting this difficult chapter firmly behind me.’
UKA chief executive Jack Buckner said: ‘This has been a difficult and sobering case for everyone involved in athletics. There is no level of success on the track which can ever justify behaviours that fall so short of the standards required of a UKA-licensed coach.
‘This case underlines that performance and medals can never come at the expense of athlete welfare.
‘Significant culture change has already taken place within UKA. The emphasis on welfare and respect has been further driven from the leadership of Paula Dunn and the performance team.
‘We have strengthened reporting systems, expanded welfare support, and ensured independent expertise and support is available when concerns are raised.
‘We are grateful to the athletes who showed courage in coming forward — their actions have ensured that unacceptable conduct has been exposed and addressed.’
Daily Mail Sport has approached Young for comment.