Jake Wightman hopes to build on his stunning 1500m world championship gold medal by adding the Commonwealth title and the European 800m crown during the next five weeks.
The 28-year-old also revealed the sacrifices to his social life that he had made for the good of his career, before adding: “When I’m retired, fat and enjoying life a little bit I can look back on this and feel very proud that I did everything I could. It’s all been worth it.”
Wightman had been regarded as an outsider in Eugene but no one had an answer to his sprint finish as he became the first British man since Steve Cram in 1983 to win a world 1500m gold medal – and the first since Seb Coe in the 1984 Olympics to win a global title.
What made the moment even more special was that his father, Geoff, was doing the commentary in the stadium. “Jake Wightman has just had the run of his life,” he said as his son crossed the line, before admitting: “My voice has gone.”
Afterwards, Wightman Snr admitted that he had been thinking about the moment for a long time. “But when it came to it, it wasn’t that bad because there’s a script, and you just follow it. So it’s just another name, but I just didn’t want to mess it up for him by doing anything wobbly.”
Wightman Jnr, meanwhile, admitted he didn’t hear his father’s words as he powered down the final straight. “I didn’t hear him. Hopefully that’s because he was a bit emotional. One of the first things he said was: ‘Get ready for Commies now’.”
The Commonwealth Games starts in Birmingham next week and Wightman, who has won European and Commonwealth bronze but only came 10th at last year’s Olympics in Tokyo, confirmed he will be there before hopefully a tilt at the Europeans in August. “I’m 28 now,” he said. “I don’t know how many more opportunities I will get to do this and I hope there is a lot more to come. So I need to make the most of it.”
For now, however, the Nottingham-born athlete is allowing himself to celebrate – a bit. “To start with I just want the pizza in the buffet because I’ve stayed away from that. I’m very on it during the season. But this is something that I’ve had to work hard for.
“I never feel as though this sport, this job, is all fun and games. I’ve sacrificed a lot: the whole of my early 20s doing stuff with friends, the social life I’d crave, but it is all worth it for moments like this.”
Wightman said being congratulated by Cram and Lord Sebastian Coe after the race made his success feel even more special. “We’ve had some like size-14 boots to fill for a long time now,” he told the BBC. “I saw ‘Crammy’ up in the commentary bit and then it was Seb Coe presenting my medal. For them to be as pumped as they were – to be able to give the medal to me and Crammy sent me a nice message – it means a lot because they’re the benchmark of British distance running and heroes of mine, so that makes it extra special.”
Father and coach Geoff announced the drama as it unfolded in Oregon with his mother Susan in the crowd. “I’ve been doing his school sports day since he was about 11 because my wife’s been his PE teacher,” said Wightman Snr. “So we’ve just taken it to a slightly bigger stadia, slightly bigger crowds and slightly bigger medals.
“I’ve been watching his races for all his life, since he started as a little kid in primary school and to come through and win a global title here of all places. The main thing is it made up for the Olympics. You only get one shot in four years. So I’m, very proud, very proud. He’s putting in a lot of hard work. He’s very meticulous in the way he prepares.”
He also underlined the need to be unbiased when announcing the runners and calling the race. “We had some good 200m semi-finals, you just get into a certain groove. But each time, I’d think: ‘He’ll be warming up now, he’ll be into the final call room.’ But then you’ve got to do the introductions and if I don’t keep it neutral during the 1500m, I don’t get to do it again. I’ve been doing 1500m since before Jake came on the scene. I’d love to do them. So I can’t be biased, I have to be impartial.”
World Athletics has moved Wightman’s medal ceremony to Tuesday evening because the original one on Wednesday would have clashed with his flight home.
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