"I'm going to the fire-fighter's gym, which is air-side, to go on the treadmill," he told BBC Scotland. "I feel like we're always half being coached by my dad," Sam says. Im glad I committed to it, if stuff had gone differently, I think I couldve run something really quick. Id come back probably fitter than I had done at any time, he declares. The minor medals would likely be contested by the Kenyan duo of Abel Kipsang and Timothy Cheruiyot, and Britains Josh Kerr. You have to fight pretty hard to make teams, in 2016 you could make an Olympic team just by running a standard (current Olympic mens standards: 1:45.2 at 800m and 3:35.0 at 1,500m), a standard now definitely wont be good enough to make an Olympics. Wightman knew that if Ingebrigtsen was going to try to destroy his rivals before the halfway point, attempting to follow him would likely mean suicide. As an underclassman, Jake won the 2011 Scottish Schools Championships over 1500m.
"The first time my dad meets people, he's keen to know if they're a runner and what they could do a marathon in. All rights reserved. You have to be as good a racer as possible, thats where it really helps the NCAA guys, you learn your race craft, thats on the rest of us to make sure were good enough at the trials. His endurance was not strong enough. I sat with Mum Susan..then could not wait to give my mate a hug. Read about our approach to external linking. Glasgow's Emirates Arena will host the European Indoor Athletics Championships in March. "My dad, he lives and breathes the sport," Sam says. Over the winter, Geoff changed his sons programme specifically to build greater strength at the back end of a race, introducing cross-country and over-distance 3,000m races. There are always going to be developments in technology across the sport. But his father has since gone viral for keeping his cool, despite working as the stadium announcer who was commentating on his son becoming world champion. I hope I can almost keep my fitness up from cross-training and get back into my running as quick as Id hope to..
With the pace swift at the head of the field courtesy of Kipsang, Jake continued on his steady path, opting to ignore Ingebrigtsen when the Norwegian took over after 700m and remaining calmly poised in fourth place. Fortunately, his race craft has accelerated greatly since three years ago when talent propelled the former European junior champion into positions of strength but tactics let him down. For 2019, the main focus for elite athletes will be the World Championships in Doha. Beats sitting on his problematic posterior. That decision with 200m to go is what won it for him., GOLD! But, in a spectacularly bold move, he decided to pass the Olympic champion as well with 200m still remaining. Timing and results management by Omega. If you took Roger Bannisters four-minute mile running on cinder tracks, that was unbelievable at the time, but now, while still a good feat, a lot of people are doing it. I dont know too many people who have a better racing brain. Sign up for Fast Runnings FREE weekly newsletter and get the latest running news, race round-ups, training advice and offers delivered straight to your inbox. I felt so good until that point, so once there was an opportunity to go past I just wanted to be leading the bend and controlling the bend. I dont think it can be considered a golden generation until we come back and win medals globally though. Before this 1500m final, any discussion about what people thought would happen tended to follow a similar path. Crucially, he snatched Olympic standards, and personal bests, last year -1:44.18 in the 800m and 3:29.47 in the 1,500m, to rank second all-time in Great Britain behind Sir Mo Farah - to secure a privileged position ahead of Junes British championships. With Sky Sports on mute in the background, Jake Wightman sits himself down for 20 minutes for a prescribed slice of RnR. Among others, Elliott Giles, Daniel Rowden, Jamie Webb and Kyle Langford will be fighting for places in the 800m, while Josh Kerr, Neil Gourley, Charlie DaVall Grice, James West and British champion George Mills will be involved in a packed 1,500m field. Nothing out there suggested that my body was in any sort of bother. Their careers were impressive, but no one in the family had ever claimed gold at a world event. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. ", Geoff is full-time coach to Jake alongside his announcer duties, but also can't help but prep Sam and Martha's training plans for marathons and smaller races they sign up to. Scottish 1,500m and 800m athlete Jake Wightman is fast, as shown by his current Scottish record for 1,500m, with his time of 3.29.47 set in Monaco in 2020. When he is fit, he puts himself in exactly the right positions. Both competed in Seoul 1988, with his mum Susan coming 12th in the marathon, and his aunt, Angela Tooby-Smith, running in the 10,000m, Thats the funny thing, being an Olympian isnt really something that is a huge deal in my family, Wightman told the BBC. All rights reserved. Dad Geoff is now a full-time coach, his stints on stadium microphones apart. I think I needed a championship like that just to realise what mistakes I made, and I tried to make amends to that last year. But thats not the only running genes Jake was born with: his mum and his aunt were also Olympians. Instead, it will be a global gong in the heat of Qatar that will keep him afloat in the shallow end, using his other online splurge a pair of waterproof headphones to block out any curious stares. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. His mother placed 12th in the marathon, while Tooby-Smith won 10,000m bronze for Wales at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. By clicking Register you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to ourTerms of use,Cookie policyandPrivacy notice. "If I can have a good European indoors, and run as well as I hope to here in Glasgow, then there's no reason why I won't be looking to try and come back with a medal from Doha," Wightman said. I dont know if thats probably a bad thing, having seen whats happened now. Two years later, Jake won his first international gold medal, taking the title at 1500m at the European Junior Championships in Rieti, Italy. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. Not until Wednesday. RELATED:Seb Coe hails Jake Wightmans progression. Then please support us and become apatron. And it came off for me. Not your standard porridge or eggs for Wightman. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. He is a racer.. But one thing never changed: Jake almost always won. "Athletics is his main passion in life without a doubt. His winning time of three minutes 29.23 seconds was the second-fastest in World Championships history. So I hope that I can get myself in the right shape to be able to go through the rounds and then see what we can do in the final.. That hasnt happened yet, theres a lot of potential for lots of athletes to do that, but I dont think it can be recognised as a great era until that happens. But Wightman, whose sponsors New Balance have also produced an impressive carbon-plated spike, maintains there are more factors to consider surrounding impressive performances, including unique training patterns due to Covid-19. All those unseen, brutally long training sessions over the winter had paid dividends. I was the worst one in it, Wightman told the Norske Podcaster. 894646. As a result, the sport was ever-present in Wightmans life, and so his journey towards pro athlete was set in motion from an early age. As he told The Sunday Times once: We both competed and I never wanted to lose to him. At last years Tokyo Olympics, Wightman won his 1500m semi-final only to find himself unable to cope in the final, where he faded to 10th. Then within two days, it was just, yeah, I could barely run.. The Wightman-Tooby pedigree in middle and long distance running is well-known for those in the sport. Its just being in the right place to use that, and we practise that a lot.. I know how to get the best out of myself now and listen to symptoms, whether Im too tired, whether it is just the altitude. That would be progress.. Youd hope people will want to see that, its the people that are in like rose-tinted glasses about how good the olden days were wanting to think that was the pinnacle of athletics, and maybe it was, maybe these guys would be running so much quicker than us now if they had the technology we had. "But I think it definitely has an extra sense of meaning to it because they realise how big an achievement that was for any athlete.". But they get broken all the time, records that are long-standing now, there are very few that are more than 10 years old. His current 1,500m PB of 3:29.47 puts him second in the British all-time fastest 1,500m, ahead of big names such as Cram, Ovett and Coe, with only Mo Farah ahead of him. Having committed and hit the front, it was just a question of whether he could hold onto gold as the finish line loomed into view. There was a time in their early teens when Jake feared that Sam might be catching up with him. Once upon a time, global 1500m finals were slow, tactical affairs where the field would bunch together before a dust-up in the closing lap or two. Jake Wightman ends 2021 season with win at Fifth Ave Mile, 2018 European Championships bronze medalist, 1500m, 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, 1500m, 5th, 2019 IAAF World Championships, 1500m. Wightman will represent Scotland, due to their childhood spent there, at this month's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Sensible pacemaking is needed off the track in 2019, as well as on it.
"I even ended up being the mascot for the British Athletics team for several years - Jake would be on the track and Id be inside this massive sweaty bear costume. They were all professional athletes, and I was still on placement.. Seb Coe hits out at 'second-rate sociologists' over sport's gender eligibility rules, Police called after World Championships mascot has head stolen, Watch: Jake Wightman wins shock 1500m world title with father commentating on race, Max Burgin, 'monster hills', and the making of Britain's next great 800m hope, Adam Gemili hits out at 'relentless bad press' over coach Rana Reider. ", Moment of Truth goes behind the scenes and follows two League One managers on and off the pitch, A sewage worker, a road layer, an osteopath and a chef share their experiences, The brand-new episode of Bad People unearths the secret life of the UKs most prolific necrophile. Takes the mind off what could, even at the age of 24, have been the final chance of his career to pick up a major title on his native Scottish soil. When it became apparent that this was not a decisive move from the Olympic champion, Jake simply eased back onto his shoulder, passing Kipsang to leave only Ingebrigtsen and Cheruiyot in front of him. I would it find it hard to not.". He has his sights set firmly on the World Athletics Championships (beginning on Friday, July 15), where he is set to race in the 1,500m in Eugene, Oregon, followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he will represent Scotland in his fourth games, followed by the European Championships in Munich. If I get there with 200m to go I will always make a move, he said. I think it probably went a long way to fuelling my brother's drive for it and realising what is achievable within the sport. Is it always advantageous to be resilient? It was a dream scenario., Cram said: It would have been very easy to say, I will just sit here and see what I can get in the home straight. Recuperation and Rehabilitation, in his case, on the high-tech ultrasound system that is designed to speed up the healing of his presently injured butt. Funding from British and Scottish Athletics has allowed him to jet back and forth across the Atlantic, including a dart to Spain to oversee Steph Twells marathon debut before re-joining his son in the mountains. Emails may include information and offers from third parties which Fast Running believes will be of interest to you as a runner.
Missing out, if youll excuse the obvious, would be a pain in the behind. Aside from the already beaten Cheruiyot, Wightman has the fastest 800m personal best in the field, and now was the time to put his speed to use. At Tokyo 2020, Jake qualified for the final of the 1500m, where he finished tenth. IOC 2022 Official Results powered by Atos. Kiri Marsh: a club runners story of progression, Andy Vernon calls for better prize money in domestic athletics. Internet I felt good the whole way, but he was still there, I hoped in the last 400 hed drop off and Id still stay strong and kick on, but the opposite happened, he blitzed past me, his closing pace over the last 300 was enough to win any race let alone off that pace. Idle hands make online shoppers, so the saying goes. That was a strain and I had a little tears in my hamstring, and I probably didnt run for two, maybe three weeks, but then I could get back running by the end of that, whereas this is just going to be a complete two months off running. Max Bergen to come out, Kyle will be running well, thats the 800m alone. Its been an unprecedented year so far for Jake Wightman, but Great Britains 800m and 1,500m star has embraced the peculiarities of this Covid-hit road to the Tokyo Olympics. More #BBCAthletics. I keep thinking to myself, if it wasnt in Glasgow, would I be as bothered? he acknowledges. "I'll definitely be trying to do that," he told BBC Scotland.
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Showing he picked up exactly where he left off, Jake's first and only race of the 2020 indoor season saw him run 2:17.51 for 1000m, breaking the British record which had stood since 1992. Improving year-by-year, in 2016, Jake was named to Team GBs squad for the European Championships in Amsterdam, where he qualified for his first senior-level international final, placing seventh. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, Jake Wightman won the UK's first World Championship gold at 1500m since 1983, Twin sisters Susan (left) and Angela Tooby in athletics action in the 1980s, The Wightman family out on a run together, Angela Tooby of Great Britain, Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway and Annette Sergent of France stand on the winners'' podium after the Womens race during the World Cross Country Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, Jake Wightman celebrates winning gold with his mum and dad, Jake Wightman crosses the line in first place in Eugene to win gold, Jake Wightman showed superb endurance to hold off Jakob Ingebrigtsen and co. Commonwealth Games 2022: When are they, where are they being held, and how can I get tickets? Disappointed but determined, he bounced back the following year to have a phenomenal season of results, including sixth at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships 1500m final, fourth in the final of the 800m at the Commonwealth Games, and bronze medal-winning runs over 1500m at the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. Later that summer, Jake finished second in the 1500m at the British Olympic Trials to secure his spot on Team GB for Tokyo 2020, his first Olympic Games. It is a passion instilled in them by their mother, now a PE teacher, but also their athletics-nut father. But I held on.. It was disappointing to not get the British record at least. That result, among other key performances, earned Jake a spot on the British squad for the IAAF World Championships in London. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism, By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. He definitely has the feeling if youre going to sign up to a race - 10k, half-marathon or marathon - you should give it your best shot, go in to get a PB. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. The test will be when everybody has them.
As identical twins we were the same in terms of our physiological capacity. "But only when it feels like I can be useful," he adds modestly. With latest scores and headlines sent straight to your device, personalisation and much more, ensure you have a great sporting life with BBC Sport. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. I eat tortilla wraps on their own, which makes me look like a bit of a weirdo., The best treadmills for runners, starting at 150, Six things you should know about Elliot Giles, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. "My confidence from this year is as high as it probably could be.". Sam, who is an actor, got up at 3.30am on Wednesday morning to watch his brother produce the performance of his life to beat Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to the line in Eugene, Oregon. Thank you. The following year, Jake was among the best milers in Britain, and represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Since setting that benchmark, he travelled to the Tokyo Olympics last year, where he came 10th in the 1,500m. The (longest spell out) Ive had before was before Commonwealth in 2014, he recounts. I thought I was the quickest on paper going into it, he admits. "They're proud in the same way that any parent would be proud of their child doing that, whether or not they were athletes themselves back in the day," Sam says. The crowd are definitely going to have an intimate experience, which hopefully they thrive off and we thrive off, so it's even more of an incentive to come out and run well. Obviously well wear the best spikes our brands provide us with, you wont choose the worse spike as morally thats the thing to do. Whatever happens though, the elder Wightman generation now will forever have their golden moment. Wightman is keen to emphasise the importance of race strategy too, knowing that shiny personal bests will matter little at trials and championships around the world. Which, if you allow yourself a small snigger (since he does, its allowed), makes for a particularly revealing treatment session in the lounge of his London home. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. "But I know that he hated the idea of being beaten by me - that was a good motivator for him, to know I was breathing down his neck every time. Its always going to keep moving forward. He is a very smart runner, said 1983 world 1500m champion Steve Cram. "It's such a good opportunity in front of a home crowd. The moment that will forever be replayed in the Wightman household.
"It would either be that or on the runway or in the terminal. Any development in the sport, you have to move the perspective on for what is a standard time.
A lot of the time you dont know youre in it until its gone. We talked about it that he had a very good chance of operating at fourth, fifth or sixth, and getting a bronze, said Geoff. Everything moves on, if youre arguing we shouldnt wear these spikes, are you arguing we should never have changed from leather spikes with nails in the bottom running on cinder tracks? Having injected a burst of pace with 300m remaining to pass the visibly tiring Cheruiyot, conventional logic would have been for Jake to stick on Ingebrigtsens heels and hope he could see him off in a sprint finish. I had a really good camp all of December, which is why its even more frustrating this has happened, because it came on with nothing. Instead he has embarked upon a period of self-treatment, then a rehab stint at Bisham Abbey, with the mind-numbing tedium of jogging in a swimming pool as his sole running option until the middle of the spring. It moves on quick, throw him back in. At the World Championships, Jake finished an impressive fifth in the final of the 1500m, in a time of 3:31.87, a new Scottish Record. acquired a bronze at the Commonwealth Games, Seb Coe hails Jake Wightmans progression, 10 fastest UK parkrun times on 9th July (2022), 10 fastest UK parkrun times on 16th July (2022), Hot times at SOAR MK5000 PB Special weekend roundup, Course records over 10 miles Irish round-up, Worlds PB for Judd as Thackery sets sights on Commonwealths weekend roundup, Rising star Griggs shines bright- Irish round-up, Breaking2 How the Worlds Fastest Men Almost Broke the 2-Hour Marathon, Strava Wants Runners & Athletes To Share Their Real Unfiltered Photos, VIDEO: Tom Bosworth interview with Mo Farah, Elaine Thompson runs 10.94 for 100m in trainers, An act of kindness by two runners in Philadelphia half marathon goes viral, Full time vet running 2:16 for the marathon. With the field for Glasgow in March likely to be disrupted by the need for self-preservation ahead of a highly belated summer IAAF world championships in Doha, some medals may be there for the taking. Use of the Website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, London Marathon changes policy for pregnant women, Eilish McColgan through to 5000m world final, 5 things you should know about Beth Dobbin, Jake Wightman wins 1500m gold at World Champs, Jornet and Dauwalter smash Hardrock 100 records, Cameraman causes chaos in the mens steeplechase, Gotytom Gebreslase wins world marathon gold, 5 things you should know about Jake Wightman, Runner's World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network. But I think I probably would be but Im glad Ive got a diagnosis that means I have to miss it. Good training and even better recovery with the help of binge-watching the best that Netflix can offer brings a monotony every athlete can relate to right now. Not for Wightman a discount set of new pans on Amazon or that Alexa-enabled toaster you never knew you needed. At the moment, I just have to focus on getting myself back running, he underlines. He will now be the favourite for the title. I knew the odds were getting more into my favour the later in the race it went. Wightman followed his third place at this year's Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast by matching that at the European Championships in Berlin in what proved to be his breakthrough year. And after providing glowing reviews of several episodes, notably June 17th, 1994 and Marion Jones: Press Pause, Wightman switches focus back to the fierce competition that awaits during this testing year. For Jake Wightman, being an athlete wasnt so much the best option but the only option. Explorer 11, 10 or older browsers or systems. A very impressive 2hours 49mins at last year's London Marathon, and he says he has "been subbed in for training" with Jake and girlfriend Georgie Hartigan - who runs for Ireland - at their Teddington base on occasion. Time marches on. @JakeSWightman @WightmanGeoff @SusanWightman6 pic.twitter.com/8I8IT6ntwb. I personally dont think too much changes, theyre spikes, how much can they really do especially over shorter distances? Its a bit nervy, because I dont really know how Im going to respond coming back to running. The glute, the whole glute, and nothing but the glute. Just like their mother and aunt before them, twins Sam and Jake ran together throughout their childhood and pushed each other along. If I ended up finishing fourth, I gave it a go. I didnt have any choice to be honest! he says. But youre still seeing quicker times, which is exciting!. So hopefully they cant see too much through the window.. Everybody is going to be in such a small bracket time-wise, its going to be who gets it right on the day. The latest foray to Flagstaff seemed perfectly ideal for his needs. Note: Some components of NBCOlympics.com may not be optimized for users browsing with
I assumed that pace would be too quick for him (Hoare), my hope was Id run at a pace to get me the time I wanted and also drop everybody else off. The family of five - which also includes sister Martha - spent the summer holidays travelling to the World Championships and now in adulthood continue to share training splits and times on their WhatsApp group. Before Christmas, prior to the strain, it was all going so swimmingly following an altitude stint in Arizona that was teeing him up for the campaigns ahead. If I had finished second or third, Id given it a go to try and win. Wednesday marked the peak of Wightman's career aged 28, and of the family's athletics journey. Its hard, because records will keep getting broken. Im funny with what I eat on race day as I like to keep it as plain as possible, he told AW. By adding your information and clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive email communications from Fast Running as outlined above. Even though Sam switched distance from under-15s, trying out a number of events ("to find one where I would not always have to come second"), athletics remained a family affair. Id do it again, he confirms. Hugging the inside lane, he sat in fourth place after an opening lap of 55.51 seconds, only briefly dropping into fifth soon after, and never losing sight of the leaders. Geoff represented England in the marathon in the 1990 Commonwealth Games, among other achievements. Instead, he ensured that he was ideally placed in the early stages to be within touching distance of the leaders in case someone attempted an early move, while ensuring he would have to do none of the hard graft up front. Due to his family being heavily involved in athletics, most of their holidays revolved around attending athletics events and meetings. Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. I think when I went to London (worlds in 2017), I definitely was fit enough I think to make the final, but just didnt race well at all, he reflects. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Wightman, the art of racing and why super spikes impact is overblown, At least 20% off branded sports clothing at Very, Getaway Deals up to 15% off with Booking.com in July, Free UK delivery worth 5 on orders worth 60 - Debenhams promo code, Up to 70% off this week with AliExpress super value deals, 15% off tablets, phones, consoles, smartwatches - eBay voucher code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this July, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Registered in England No. Its always compared to what happened in the 80s, that is probably the golden generation, Wightman explains when discussing Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram. When Wightman Jr. first tried training up high, there were mis-steps and illnesses but it is an approach with which he now feels comfortable. I didnt want to leave this race like in Tokyo where I didnt give a true account of how I want to run and how I believe I could run, said Wightman.