As the small British team in Eugene began to celebrate the country’s first 1500m world title since Steve Crum in 1983, the giant screen at Hayward Field suddenly switched to the stadium announcer. “I have to tell you why the camera is on me,” said Geoff Wightman, a former top marathoner and the voice of athletics in stadiums for decades. “This is my son. I train him. And he is the world champion.” Somehow Whiteman held back tears in a moment that was surely unprecedented in broadcast and elite sports history. But, as he later revealed, he had been preparing for this most of his life. “I’ve been doing school sports day since I was about 11 because my wife was my PE teacher,” he later explained. “We just took it to a slightly bigger field, a slightly bigger crowd and slightly bigger medals. But it was surreal to see him win the gold. I was thinking: I know this guy. He has a familiar look.” Make no mistake, though: this was Britain’s most stunning gold medal in the 39-year history of the world championships. Certainly UK Athletics didn’t expect it. Because he had already booked Wightman on a flight home on Wednesday at 6.35pm local time – an hour after the 1500m medal ceremony. Although luckily for Wightman, he was hastily rescheduled 30 minutes into his match. Over the years, no one had doubted that Whiteman had talent. But so far all he has had for his efforts have been two bronze medals from the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. He was both Mr Nice and Mr Almost Athletics Man. Everyone liked it. But when it came to world and Olympic finals, no one really feared him. That meant he started as an underdog in a stellar field that included the Olympic 1-2-3 of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Timothy Cheruiyot and Josh Kerr – as well as Abel Kipsang, the fastest man in the world in 2022. A year ago in Tokyo, Wightman had finished 10th in such a large group, but in the depths of winter father and son had hatched a bold plan to toughen Junior up. It required Wightman to swallow his pride and compete in more cross-country and 3,000-meter races—events well outside his comfort zone—so that when he reached that final in Eugene he could maintain the strength in his legs and be able to to unleash his 1min 44sec 800m speed when it mattered most. And on a day when temperatures reached the 90s, the plan worked like a beautiful dream. Wightman kept in close touch with the leaders as Kipsang, who had not lost a race all season, led and then slipped back at 700m. It was at that point that Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic champion and the fastest man on the field, took over and moved on. But the pace was never quick enough to dampen Wightman’s speed and with 200m to go he struck for glory. Geoff and Susan Wightman with their world champion son Jake in Eugene. Photo: Ashley Landis/AP After crossing the line, in a winning time of 3:29.23, Geoff’s first words were professionalism personified. “Jake Whiteman just had the time of his life,” she said, before admitting: “My voice is gone.” Ingebrigtsen was second in 3:29.27, with Spain’s Mohamed Katir third, just over half a second behind. The other Briton in the race, Kerr, never really threatened before finishing fifth. But he showed great class afterwards, warmly congratulating his friend as he lay on the track before pulling him to his feet. “The only point of having a good 800m PB in a race like this is if you’re there with 200m to go,” said Wightman, whose win ended a run of seven consecutive golds by Kenyan-born 1500m runners. “I knew the odds were more favorable the later in the race. I felt strong but Jakob is a beast and I didn’t know if he would come back. But it never happened and I’m world champion.” Quick guide

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Thanks for your response. Ingebrigtsen was less subtle in defeat. “I’m ashamed to be so good and yet so bad,” he said. Later, when asked how he felt about his father’s comment, Wightman Jr smiled: “He can be a bit of a robot on the mic sometimes – some say robot, some say professional. I hope it broke today. It will be interesting to watch it again. My mom was crying, someone was crying!” Wightman Sr’s response? “I have to be impartial otherwise, long after he’s gone, I won’t be allowed to comment on the 1500m again.” He also had almost time to get it all done before returning to commentate the men’s 400m hurdles final 15 minutes later, where another Norwegian Olympian, Karsten Warholm, was also defeated. But the pride was clear in his voice when his son finally stepped onto the highest step of the podium a few minutes later. “Gold medalist and representative of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Jake Whiteman,” he said. It sounds like he had a small lump in his throat. And if he did, he wasn’t alone.