UK Athletics has pledged further “significant culture change” after Laura Muir’s former coach Andrew Young was banned for three years for serious misconduct.
Young was found guilty of nine counts of misconduct, seven of them serious, at both a disciplinary hearing last year and then an appeal earlier this summer.
He was criticised for putting performance above athlete welfare, ignoring medical advice and using manipulative and coercive behaviour, including on one occasion abandoning an athlete at the roadside following a row.
Muir, one of Britain’s leading middle-distance runners and a medallist in the 1500m at all major championships, waived her right to anonymity to speak out about her former coach.
“I fully support the decisions reached by both independent panels and I am grateful that the process has been followed through so thoroughly,” she said.
“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.”
‘Medals can never come at expense of welfare’
The initial UK Athletics disciplinary panel recommended Young be banned for five years in September 2024.
An appeal hearing reduced that to three years but rejected claims of bias, unfairness or legal error.
As the ban is backdated, Young will be free to apply for a new licence in April 2026 but must first complete training on “athlete welfare, medical collaboration, injury management and bullying/harassment”.
UK Athletics CEO Jack Buckner called it “a difficult and sobering case for everyone involved”.
“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,” he said.
“This case underlines that performance and medals can never come at the expense of
athlete welfare.”
Emphasising that “significant culture change has already taken place within UKA”, Buckner added: “Looking ahead, we are determined to continue building on this progress.
“We are in active dialogue with coaches and have launched a new coaching group, making clear that we want to support and celebrate the very best coaches – those who achieve success in the right way, with athlete welfare at the centre of their practice. That is how our sport will thrive in the future.”