Olympic Coach Banned for Three Years Over Bullying as Team GB Winner Speaks out
An Olympic medallist's coach has been banned for three years after being found guilty of serious misconduct, as the Team GB winner he trained speaks out on the matter.
Laura Muir's former athletics coach, Andrew Young, has been handed a three-year suspension over his conduct towards the athletes.
Young, who also coached Jemma Rookie to fourth place in the 800m at the Olympics in 2024, was found to have committed misconduct on several occasions.
One incident saw him drive at speed with an athlete in the car following a disagreement, before abandoning them at the side of the road. A disciplinary panel concluded: “Mr Young could be very forceful to the point of exerting pressure so severe that it amounted to manipulation or bullying.
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"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.”
Other examples included: "requiring an athlete to compete against the clear advice of a physiotherapist, threatening to exclude athletes from training or races if they did not comply with his demands, and emotionally undermining those who raised concerns about injuries".
What did Laura Muir say?
Muir, who won silver in the 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, chose to waive her anonymity in the case.
The 32-year-old said: “I have chosen to waive my anonymity and confirm my involvement in this case. 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."
The charges against Andrew Young
In total, 39 charges brought against Young. In September 2024, a UK Athletics disciplinary panel ruled that nine of them had been proven "wholly or in part".
Of those , seven were deemed to be serious.
As a result, Young was originally banned for five years, with the sanction backdated to April 2023. He appealed the ruling and in August 2025, an independent panel accepted a "slightly lesser view of the gravity of the misconduct overall."
His ban was subsequently reduced to three years.
However the panel "rejected claims of bias, legal error and unfairness and confirmed the misconduct findings in full".
UKA confirmed that before any return is considered, Young will be forced to undergo training on athlete welfare, injury management and bullying.
James Taylor