Athletics-Muir's former coach banned for three years over serious misconduct

Sept 30 (Reuters) – Olympic medallist Laura Muir's ex-coach Andy Young was banned from athletics for three years on Tuesday after he was found guilty of "serious misconduct" including manipulative behaviour and actions that placed performance above athlete welfare. A UK Athletics disciplinary panel found Young guilty on nine charges, seven of them serious, which included driving at speed with an athlete in his car following a disagreement before abandoning them at the roadside and making an injured athlete race against medical advice. "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," UKA CEO Jack Buckner said in a statement. "This case underlines that performance and medals can never come at the expense of athlete welfare." The written findings, first issued in October 2024, concluded that Young exerted such influence on those he coached that it amounted to manipulation or bullying and his "conduct exerted pressure sufficient to vitiate the Athletes' free will." The appeal body upheld those conclusions in August this year but reduced his suspension from five years to three, backdated to April 2023. Young, 48, must also complete training on athlete welfare, medical collaboration and bullying and harassment before a return to coaching could be considered. Young, who guided Muir to Olympic silver in the 1,500 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Games, was named UK Athletics Performance Coach of the Year in 2016, saw his partnership with Muir and fellow British runner Jemma Reekie end in 2023. Muir, 32, waived her anonymity to acknowledge her involvement in the case. "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 am now focused on the future, looking forward to the next few years of my career, and putting this difficult chapter firmly behind me." (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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