The 28-year-old also revealed the sacrifices in his social life he had made for the sake of his career, before adding: ‘When I’m retired, fat and enjoying life a bit, I can look back on it and feel very proud that I did what I did. I could. It was all worth it.” Wightman was considered an underdog in Eugene but no one had an answer to his sprint finish as he became the first Briton since Steve Crum in 1983 to win a world gold medal in the 1500m – and the first since Seb Coe at the 1984 Olympics .win a world title. What made the moment even more special was that his father, Geoff, was doing the on-field commentary. “Jake Whiteman just had the time of his life,” he said as his son crossed the line, before admitting: “My voice is gone.” Afterwards, Wightman Snr admitted he had been thinking about the moment for a long time. “But when it came down to it, it wasn’t so 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 shaky.” Wightman Jnr, meanwhile, admitted he didn’t hear his father’s words as he raced down the home stretch. “I didn’t hear him. Hopefully that’s because he was a little emotional. One of the first things he said was, “Get ready for Commies now.” Jake Whiteman is rated with the Union Jack after the fight of his life. Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images for World Athletics The Commonwealth Games start in Birmingham next week and Wightman, who won European and Commonwealth bronze but came just 10th at last year’s Olympics in Tokyo, has confirmed he will be there before we hope for a tilt at Europeans in August. “I’m 28 now,” he said. “I don’t know how many more opportunities I will have to do this and I hope there will be many more. So I have to make the most of it.” For now, however, the Nottingham-born athlete is allowing himself to celebrate – a little. “First of all I just want the pizza on the buffet because I’ve stayed away from that. I’m really into it during the season. But this is something I had to work hard for. “I never feel like this sport, this job, is all fun and games. I’ve sacrificed a lot: in my early 20s doing things with friends, the social life I’d longed for, but it’s worth it for moments like this.” Wightman said the congratulations from Cram and Lord Sebastian Coe after the match made his success feel even more special. “We’ve had some size 14 boots to fill for a long time,” he told the BBC. “I saw ‘Crammy’ on the commentary and then it was Seb Coe presenting my medal. For them to be as strong 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 my heroes, 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 school sports day since I was about 11 because my wife was my PE teacher,” Wightman Snr said. “Well, we’ve just moved it to a slightly bigger stadium, a slightly bigger crowd and slightly bigger medals. “I’ve been watching him fight his whole life, from when he started as a little kid in elementary school to winning a world title here of all places. The main thing is that it was made for the Olympics. You only get one shot in four years. So I am, very proud, very proud. He puts in a lot of hard work. He is very meticulous in his preparation.” Jake Wightman crosses the line ahead of Olympic 1500m champion Jacob Ingebrigtsen. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA He also emphasized the need to be impartial when announcing runners and calling the race. “We had some good 200m semi-finals, you just get into a certain groove. But every time, I thought, “He’s going to be warming up now, he’s going to be in the last call room.” But then you have to do the intakes and if I can’t keep it neutral at 1500 meters I won’t do it again. I did 1500m before Jake came on the scene. I would love to do them. So I can’t be biased, I have to be impartial.” World Athletics moved Wightman’s medal ceremony to Tuesday afternoon because Wednesday’s original one would have conflicted with his flight home.
