Latest news with #JakeWightman
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Kerr left in the shade by Kenyan star in London... but vows to defend his world title in Tokyo
Josh Kerr was stunned by Kenyan sensation Phanuel Koech in a star-studded 1500 metre final in front of a sell-out home crowd of 60,000 at the London Diamond League meeting yesterday. The reigning world champion, who had set his sights on breaking his own British record, was instead outpaced by 19-year-old Koech, who eased past the Scot on the inside with 200m to go to scorch to the line in a time of three minutes and 28.82 seconds. Kerr took second with a season's best of 3.29.37, with countryman Jake Wightman claiming fourth, Neil Gourlay finishing 10th and England's George Mills failing to finish after a fall on the final lap. With just two months until his defence of the world title he claimed in Budapest in 2023, Kerr was frustrated at his failure but vowed to peak in time for this year's event in Tokyo. 'I should be winning those, so I am frustrated,' said Kerr. 'I wanted to show up and win for this crowd but all I can promise to them now is in a few months' time I will be battling for a gold medal for this country. I'll bring it home and then everyone can see what we were working towards today.' Wightman doesn't think Koech's eye-catching time should make him favourite for the worlds, arguing: 'The Diamond League are pace races. It's much different in championships when there is no one to dictate pace and you need to be astute.' Elsewhere, Georgia Hunter Bell emerged from the shadows of training partner Keely Hodgkinson to give the London Stadium something to shout about on a day of shocks which also saw Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles beaten. Despite being a bronze medallist in last year's Olympics 1500m, Hunter Bell remains relatively unsung compared to middle- distance queen Hodgkinson, the reigning BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But with her friend injured, Hunter Bell took full advantage to power away from a strong 800m field to win in a season's best 1m56.74s, with Scottish stars Jemma Reekie and Laura Muir down the field. The biggest disappointment of the day came as the supposed fastest man on the planet, Olympic 100m champion Lyles, looked sluggish next to Jamaican rival Oblique Seville, who clocked 9.86s. In mitigation, it was Lyles' first race at the distance since Paris and he insisted afterwards: 'There is no need to panic.' Charlie Dobson was a British winner in the 400m ahead of compatriot Matt Hudson-Smith but there was disappointment for other home favourites Dina Asher-Smith, Katerina Johnson-Thompson and Molly Caudery in their individual events. Earlier in the day, Athletics Ventures had announced a GB bid for the 2029 World Championships and World Paralympics, backed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said: 'Bringing them here would be a moment of great national pride and provide a boost for businesses and jobs.' However, the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, warned there will be stiff competition from other major cities in different continents. He said: 'London has some very clear and obvious assets. We are an athletics-loving nation and people turn up. But it will be competitive. 'There are a lot of good cities out there. I won't give a list of runners and riders but there are cities who have expressed an interest and are engaging with us.' There was no louder cheer in the old Olympic Stadium yesterday than the British 4x400m relay squad receiving their rightful gold medal from the 1997 world championships — 28 years late. Originally finishing second to USA, they were upgraded to first in 2008 when it was discovered Antonio Pettigrew in the American team was a drugs cheat. It's taken all this time since for Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Mark Hilton to all be available at the same British meet to receive their gongs. The moment had extra poignancy for Thomas, who has given his medal to six-year-old son Teddy, who spent 10 days in intensive care as a baby after catching Group B Strep (GBS) that causes breathing difficulties. The ceremony also had a tinge of sadness as Pettigrew committed suicide in 2010, aged 42. 'I'd rather him have the gold medal than taking his life,' said Baulch.
The National
5 days ago
- Sport
- The National
London Athletics Meet to showcase world's best, including top Scots
The field in this, the eleventh Diamond League meet of the 2025 season, is as good as anything seen outwith the Olympic Games and World Championships, with Olympic, world and European champions aplenty in action. From a Scottish perspective, it's the men's 1500m that's the pick of the afternoon. The race had been billed as the first head-to-head since the Paris Olympic final last summer between 2024 world champion Josh Kerr and his bitter rival, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but injury has thwarted what would have been their first meeting in almost twelve months, with the Norwegian withdrawing earlier this month citing the Achilles injury that's plagued him all year. Ingebrigtsen's absence only marginally diminishes the quality of the race, however, with the Scots leading the list of favourites for victory. Kerr is tipped for his first Diamond League win of the season but his compatriots, 2022 world champion Jake Wightman and this year's world indoor silver medallist Neil Gourley, will also likely be in contention. Wightman has endured an injury nightmare since winning his world title three years ago but having regained full fitness, he now, encouragingly, appears to be approaching something close to his very best having run his fastest-ever time over the mile earlier this month. Challenging the Scots for victory in this 1500m race will, most likely, be under-20 world record holder Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech from Kenya and Australian wunderkind, Cameron Myers, from Australia. Jake Wightman will face stiff competition in the 1500m (Image: Getty Images) The women's 800m also has considerable Scottish interest, with both Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie in the line-up. Muir's competitive appearances have been unusually scarce this season, with the 2020 Olympic 1500m silver medallist having raced only once outdoors this year - in an 800m race in Norway just over two weeks ago in which she clocked 2:03.41. However, having switched coaches to Laura Weightman and Steve Cram in the off-season, there's considerable hope the 32-year-old can return to the consistent major medal-winning form that's been her hallmark for so long. Reekie, who suffered a surprising semi-final exit at the Olympic Games last summer, has been flying under the radar somewhat this year but that by no means suggests she's lacking form. The 2024 World Indoor medallist has already broken 2 minutes four times this summer, as well as setting a 1000m personal best just a week ago. While Olympic 800m champion, Keely Hodgkinson, will be absent due to an ongoing hamstring injury, fellow Brit and Olympic 1500m medallist, Georgia Hunter Bell, will fancy her chances, as will former world champion, Halimah Nakaayi from Uganda. Laura Muir will run the 800m in London today (Image: Corbis via Getty Images) Other Scots in action today are Erin Wallace in the 1 mile, in which marathon Olympic champion, Sifan Hassan is also in the field and is always worth watching, Nick Percy in the discus, Megan Keith, who has already secured her place in GB's team for September's World Championships, in the 5000m and Ben Sandilands and Owen Miller in the para 1500m. The international names who are most eye-catching are Femke Bol in the 400m hurdles, Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump, Matt Hudson-Smith in the 400m, Noah Lyles in the 100m and Julien Alfred in the 200m.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
London Athletics Meet to showcase world's best, including top Scots
From a Scottish perspective, it's the men's 1500m that's the pick of the afternoon. The race had been billed as the first head-to-head since the Paris Olympic final last summer between 2024 world champion Josh Kerr and his bitter rival, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but injury has thwarted what would have been their first meeting in almost twelve months, with the Norwegian withdrawing earlier this month citing the Achilles injury that's plagued him all year. Ingebrigtsen's absence only marginally diminishes the quality of the race, however, with the Scots leading the list of favourites for victory. Kerr is tipped for his first Diamond League win of the season but his compatriots, 2022 world champion Jake Wightman and this year's world indoor silver medallist Neil Gourley, will also likely be in contention. Wightman has endured an injury nightmare since winning his world title three years ago but having regained full fitness, he now, encouragingly, appears to be approaching something close to his very best having run his fastest-ever time over the mile earlier this month. Challenging the Scots for victory in this 1500m race will, most likely, be under-20 world record holder Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech from Kenya and Australian wunderkind, Cameron Myers, from Australia. Jake Wightman will face stiff competition in the 1500m (Image: Getty Images) The women's 800m also has considerable Scottish interest, with both Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie in the line-up. Muir's competitive appearances have been unusually scarce this season, with the 2020 Olympic 1500m silver medallist having raced only once outdoors this year - in an 800m race in Norway just over two weeks ago in which she clocked 2:03.41. However, having switched coaches to Laura Weightman and Steve Cram in the off-season, there's considerable hope the 32-year-old can return to the consistent major medal-winning form that's been her hallmark for so long. Reekie, who suffered a surprising semi-final exit at the Olympic Games last summer, has been flying under the radar somewhat this year but that by no means suggests she's lacking form. The 2024 World Indoor medallist has already broken 2 minutes four times this summer, as well as setting a 1000m personal best just a week ago. While Olympic 800m champion, Keely Hodgkinson, will be absent due to an ongoing hamstring injury, fellow Brit and Olympic 1500m medallist, Georgia Hunter Bell, will fancy her chances, as will former world champion, Halimah Nakaayi from Uganda. Laura Muir will run the 800m in London today (Image: Corbis via Getty Images) Other Scots in action today are Erin Wallace in the 1 mile, in which marathon Olympic champion, Sifan Hassan is also in the field and is always worth watching, Nick Percy in the discus, Megan Keith, who has already secured her place in GB's team for September's World Championships, in the 5000m and Ben Sandilands and Owen Miller in the para 1500m. The international names who are most eye-catching are Femke Bol in the 400m hurdles, Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump, Matt Hudson-Smith in the 400m, Noah Lyles in the 100m and Julien Alfred in the 200m.
Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Times
Jake Wightman: I had to split with dad to save our relationship
To mark perhaps the most wonderful father-and-son moment in the history of sport, Jake Wightman bought his dad, Geoff, a rather lovely gift. It was a vintage Omega stopwatch, engraved with a message of thanks and set at three minutes and 29 seconds; the time Wightman had clocked in Eugene in July 2022 when he claimed the world 1,500m title by beating the seemingly indomitable Jakob Ingebrigtsen. It was an extraordinary performance, and one that has sparked a resurgence in British middle-distance running, with the global gold medals that followed for Josh Kerr and Keely Hodgkinson. And it was all the more remarkable for the fact that Geoff was providing commentary of the race as the stadium announcer. He somehow maintained his composure as his son held off the brilliant Norwegian in those final strides but he did then share his joy with a Hayward Field crowd wondering why the guy with the microphone was on the big screen. 'Because that's my son, I coach him, and he's the world champion,' he proudly declared. In a cafe in West Didsbury, Manchester, it is Jake's voice that is now cracking a little with emotion, as he reflects not only on the unique nature of that victory but the fact that, a few months ago, he told Geoff that he no longer wanted to be coached by him. Wightman announced their professional separation after 15 years as coach and athlete in a brief statement in March. He expressed his gratitude for his father's selfless dedication. 'Thank you dad,' he wrote. But he also said there was a need for them to part. Four months on and this smart, articulate 31-year-old is now prepared to discuss the split in more detail. He describes an enduring sense of guilt. 'It was a big part of my dad's life, just gone,' he says. But it was a professional decision that was also motivated by a desire to protect a relationship with his 64-year-old father. Wightman feared it was at breaking point, such was the pressure created by a string of injury problems that had dogged him since rising to the top of the podium. Father-son coaching relationships are not uncommon; especially in athletics. Lord Coe was guided to two Olympic 1,500m titles by his dad, Peter. They had their moments: Peter famously told his son that he had run like a 'c**t' when he lost the Olympic 800m final in Moscow to Steve Ovett, with his son responding by running a more tactically-astute race in the 1,500m final that followed. But the bond between the two men remained strong right up until Peter's death, aged 88, in 2008. Even now it is rare for a conversation with Coe not to include a reference to the 'old man'. Ingebrigtsen was coached to Olympic 1,500m gold in 2021 by his father, Gjert. But in a courtroom in Norway this year we witnessed the disintegration of their relationship. During a trial that concluded with Gjert receiving a suspended prison sentence for assaulting his daughter, Jakob referred to Gjert only as 'the defendant'. It was desperately sad. By the end, had Wightman fallen out with his father? 'No,' he says. 'But we would have. 'Most parent-child athlete-coach relationships tend to end in one of two ways: either they stay with them their whole career and it's all happy and great, or it ends with people never speaking to their parents again, because it ends so badly. 'I know that happens, especially with fathers and sons, because it's probably less emotional. We're not so good at talking things through. But it can become really tough to change the dynamic from a father telling their kid what to do, to you getting to a point where you are in your late 20s, maybe 30, and your dad's still expecting you to oblige and follow. 'I have my own opinions and I've done a lot in the sport, so there were clashes. I might say I don't agree with something and he can be very stubborn as well.' The clashes coincided with those injury setbacks. Wightman has been terribly unlucky since Eugene. The 2023 season was a write off after initially injuring an ankle, while 2024 was marked by a torn hamstring he suffered days before he was due to head to Paris for the Olympic Games. 'I was devastated,' he says. 'The only race I managed to watch was Keely's. 'Everything is great between coaches and athletes when stuff's going well. But I would say we had more arguments than we'd maybe ever had, and it was getting to the point where I was seeing tiny little things that I didn't agree with, and it was angering and frustrating me in a way I don't think it would have if my coach wasn't also my dad. 'There's pressure for me but there's also a lot of pressure for him as a coach when stuff's not going right, and I maybe didn't acknowledge that he also wasn't enjoying that bit. I hate being injured but he hates me being injured too.' During a training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona, last December, Wightman started to feel discomfort in a knee. By the time he arrived in Boston in February for an indoor meet, he was not sure his body could withstand the physical demands of a race. Wightman was right to withdraw. It turned out he needed surgery. But again he clashed with his father. 'I think my dad found it hard to realise that my body was no longer how it used to be when I was younger,' he says. 'We argued about it, and that was the hard bit. At that point it didn't end that amicably.' He said it was his suggestion to call time on their partnership. 'But my dad would have probably said the same thing at the same time,' he says. Even so, there is remorse. 'I feel bad that I was with him for 15 years, and then all of a sudden, within a week, I've gone from speaking to him about all my training to him not having any idea what I'm doing. 'Honestly, I felt so guilty when it happened. But I also think it was probably a bit of a relief for him in some ways; to have to not go through the clashes and not have the pressure of getting me back to the point where we feel like we need to get to.' Wightman has moved north with his girlfriend, the former Irish international runner Georgie Hartigan, partly for a change of scenery and also to live close to his physiotherapist. Hartigan's dad, John — like Geoff once a leading distance runner — is now overseeing his coaching even if he says they are following many of Geoff's old training programmes. John had already been assisting with some of the sessions. 'I'd asked John to help just because dad and I had been arguing so much,' Wightman says. 'He was good for calming the situation a bit.' Now Wightman just wants Geoff to be his dad again; the dad he says his siblings will know better than he does. 'I think they've probably had a better relationship with him because there wasn't this other stuff in the way,' he says. 'I haven't needed him as a dad for so long. The relationship has just been about sport, and my mum [Susan, a former Olympic marathon runner] would get caught in the middle. 'Now there is less pressure. He came up recently to swap over a couple of beds, and it all felt easier. There's that space now. I feel like I'll be able to go home this Christmas and have a nice time.' Wightman says Geoff has not renewed his coaching licence, even though he has guided the careers of other leading athletes. He would like him to reconsider.'I hope he does go back to it because he's a good coach. He could be tough but what he did for me made me a world champion.' Which is precisely why he bought him the 1960s stopwatch. 'I got it for him for Christmas and I look back and think I'm very glad I did, because it's a symbol not just of that summer but of the whole time I was coached by him,' he says. 'Eugene was the highlight of my time being coached by my dad, and I'm pleased I've acknowledged how good a job he did to get me to that point. I also wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have done that with me. I will always be thankful for what he's done for my career.' He very much hopes it is a career that is finally back on track. 'This sport can be cruel,' he says, before revealing how he had even worn his Team GB kit to watch the opening ceremony of last year's Games from his training camp in St Moritz. 'I tore my hamstring in the last rep of the last session before I was due to go to Paris.' He suspects the 2022 season, with the World Championships followed by the Commonwealth Games and European Championships (he won medals at all three), took too great a toll on his body. This month, however, he followed a solid performance in the mile at the Prefontaine Classic, in a personal-best time, with victory over 800m, in 1:44.71, in Italy last Sunday. On Sunday he goes again, over 1,500m at the Novuna London Athletics Meet; three years to the day since that stunning victory in Eugene. Geoff will be there, but this time only as stadium announcer. 'It's good that he's still involved with the sport,' his son says. 'It will be nice to see him.'
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Strongest domestic field over 1500m in some time'
Scottish trio Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley line up for a "rare" meeting over 1500m in Saturday's London Diamond League as the battle for places at the World Championships heats will be joined by England's Elliot Giles and George Mills, with the event topping the bill at a 60,000 sell-out London told BBC Sport Scotland: "It's probably the strongest domestic field we have assembled over 1500m in quite some time."Of racing Kerr and Wightman, he added: "It's rare that we have been able to come up against each other. You would think that being from the same country you would line up all the time, but not really." Kerr, 27, has Olympic silver and bronze medals, as well world outdoor and indoor 30, is a world and European indoor silver medallist, while Wightman, 31, topped the podium at the 2022 World who missed last year's Olympics through injury said: "I would say the three of us have probably helped bring the best out of each other."Some will have run better than others at the end of a season. Obviously Josh has been doing that for the last couple of years and then Neil has had his own success at world indoors recently and I have had a couple of years where I haven't been racing, let alone been seen as a rival."It just chops and changes throughout the years as to how well you are running and what level you are seen at so, for me, it is probably a good thing that I haven't raced that much. "Therefore, I don't have as much pressure as someone like Josh coming into this as an Olympic silver medallist."Two automatic 1500m places at September's World Championships in Tokyo will be determined at next month's British Championships in a good showing in London could be important in terms of catching the selectors' eyes since there is sure to be another discretionary said: "It might play on people's minds a little bit that they want to show that they are one of those top few guys in the country."I'm trying to run a little bit more freely and just take care of what I need to do at the British Championships, trying to treat that as a separate thing. "I don't want to be paralysed by the expectation of trying to make selectors happy."Wightman ran a personal best of three minutes 47:82 seconds for the mile at the Eugene Diamond League earlier this month, although that was only good enough for eighth place."I've had months of unbroken training and my body being in one piece, so I am hoping that is a good sign for the rest of the summer and I don't have to think about anything other than just racing and getting the most out of myself," he added."It's about gradually building the season, making sure that I have still got room to go and being at my best hopefully by Tokyo."
