Andy Young, who guided Laura Muir to Olympic success, faces a ban for serious misconduct, including coercive behavior and neglect of athlete welfare.

Laura Muir’s former athletics coach, Andy Young, has been banned for three years following findings of serious misconduct, including driving at high speeds with an athlete in his car after a disagreement and abandoning them at the roadside. Young, who coached Muir to Olympic and world championship medals, was found by two independent panels to have prioritized performance over athlete welfare, ignored medical advice, and used manipulative and coercive behavior toward those he trained. The 48-year-old, previously UK Athletics’ performance coach of the year in 2016, was also found to have forced an athlete to train with a stress fracture and threatened to exclude athletes from training or races if they did not comply with his demands.

His ban, backdated to his 2023 suspension, means he will be eligible to return to coaching in April 2026. Muir and fellow athlete Jemma Reekie ended their association with Young after disagreements over his behavior during a training camp in South Africa in 2023. Muir confirmed her involvement in the case, stating she supports the panels’ decisions and is now focused on her future in the sport.

Young was initially banned for five years after the first independent panel upheld nine of 37 charges against him. However, an appeals panel reduced the ban by two years, though it rejected his claims of bias, legal error, and unfairness in the initial hearing. The panel also agreed that seven of his breaches were serious and that revoking his license was necessary to protect athletes.

The case highlights ongoing concerns about coaching conduct in British athletics. UK Athletics chief executive Jack Buckner stated that “significant culture change” has been made in recent years to improve athlete reporting systems and ensure a safer environment for athletes. Buckner added that “there is no level of success on the track which can ever justify behaviors that fall so short of the standards required of a UKA licensed coach.”

Young was approached for comment, but no response has been reported. The incident is the latest in a series of coaching scandals that have affected British Olympic sports, including cycling, swimming, and athletics, over the past decade.

In addition to the misconduct involving athletes, Young was found to have instructed an athlete to post a tweet that could have caused annoyance to their sponsor and risked damaging their relationship. The panel described this as unnecessary and inappropriate. On another occasion, Young made a comment about an athlete’s weight that upset them while driving, prompting the athlete to ask to exit the vehicle. Young then drove off, leaving them stranded at the roadside.

The report also noted that Young’s behavior created an environment where athletes felt they had no realistic option but to comply with his demands to remain in his training group. This pressure, the panel said, amounted to manipulation or bullying.

The case has sparked renewed calls for stronger oversight and accountability in sports coaching, particularly in elite environments where the pressure to perform can be intense. Muir, who has since moved on to work with a new coaching team, expressed gratitude for the thorough process and emphasized her commitment to the future of her athletic career.