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Britain’s Jemma Reekie has dismissed speculation that her recent improvement is linked to her Nike prototype shoes.
The 21-year-old Scot has broken three indoor records in the past month and won the 1500m in Glasgow on Saturday.
Addressing questions about her spikes for the first time, she said her improvement was a product of pushing her body “to the absolute limit”.
Nike’s shoes and spikes have been making headlines in recent weeks because of new World Athletics rules.
Under the new regulations, athletes will not be able to compete in prototype shoes from April, but at present the likes of five-time European champion Laura Muir and Reekie are able to run in shoes not available in the shops.
In the build-up to Reekie’s race in Glasgow, questions about her shoes were shut down by her representatives, but coach Andy Young has previously said her spikes will conform to the new rules.
Reekie, addressing the subject for the first time after winning the 1500m at the Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow, said she would “leave the experts” to tackle the issue.
Asked what she felt about the speculation around her shoes in response to her fast times, she told BBC Sport: “It doesn’t happen overnight and there’s a lot of hard work.
“I am 21-years-old and I am a developing athlete and I am pushing myself to the absolute limits and I will just let my legs do the talking.”
Reflecting on her recent form, she said: “I put it all down to Andy’s training and the support as well.
“I’ve got a lot of support from British Athletics and Andy, and the two work really well together. Andy puts detail into every single thing we do and the support from him on and off the track, it’s just learning as well.”
Reekie also said “I learn a lot” from fellow Scot Muir, who she trains with, adding: “Everything has come together this year.”
Earlier this month, Reekie broke Muir’s 800m British record in Glasgow, propelling her into the spotlight.
She followed that performance up last weekend in New York when she broke Muir’s British record for the indoor mile and also broke the 1500m British record in the same race.
Muir, who was aiming to break the 1,000m world record in Glasgow but fell short despite a wide-margin victory, also tackled the debate surrounding Nike’s shoe technology.
Speaking after her race, she told BBC Sport: “Ultimately it is up to World Athletics, they set the rules and regulations with regards to these things so it is up to them what happens and what the athletes are allowed to compete in.
“As an athlete all you can do is focus on yourself. We just train as hard as we can and we go out there, we enjoy ourselves and we love the sport.”
Muir also confirmed that the spikes she was wearing will be legal under the new World Athletics rules, saying: “Yeah I believe they will.”
Reekie will race indoors again next week in France, and will then focus on qualifying for the Olympics in Tokyo.
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