The 28-year-old took the 1500m title in a time of three minutes 29.23 seconds, finishing ahead of Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Spain’s Mohamed Katir. Wightman went into the championships with the fastest time in the world this year and went for broke with 200m to go. It is by far the biggest success of his career. He previously won European and Commonwealth bronze but only came 10th at last year’s Olympics in Tokyo, something he said left him “pretty scarred”. World Athletics moved Wightman’s medal ceremony to Tuesday evening local time because the original one on Wednesday would have clashed with his flight home. His gold was Britain’s first in Eugene and was won while his father and coach, Geoff, was the in-stadium commentator. Wightman, who was born in Linlithgow, Scotland, also became the first British runner to win the 1500m in 39 years, since Steve Cram’s gold in 1983. “Dad can be a bit of a robot on the mic sometimes, some people say robot, some say professional,” he said. “I hope he broke that down today. It will be interesting to watch it back. My mum was in tears, at least someone was crying. “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 (Commonwealth Games) now’. “I’m 28 now, I don’t know how many more opportunities I will get to do this and I hope there is a lot more to come. “I need to make the most of it. It’s important to hit the milestone like this, seven, eight-year-old me would never have believed. “There are so many people who have helped me get to this point. My dad has coached me since I was 14 or 15. Every club coach from Edinburgh, Loughborough Uni, British Athletics have all played a part.” Image: Wightman celebrated his gold with his father and coach, Geoff, and his mother, Susan. Pic: AP Gold has ‘made up for the Olympics’ Wightman’s father, who was a marathon runner and competed at the Commonwealth Games in 1990, described his son as “meticulous”, adding: “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.” Image: His win is the first gold medal Great Britain has won in the 1500m track event in 39 years. Pic: AP The Loughborough University graduate previously represented Scotland at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 and was European Junior 1500m Champion in 2013. His previous best at the World Championships was fifth in 2019. His amateur club, Edinburgh Athletic Club, congratulated him on his gold medal in a post on Facebook, writing: “Congratulations to Jake Wightman superb performance CHAMPION OF THE WORLD at 1500m in 3:29.23. “Well done also to coach/Dad Geoff and all the family and support team. “Edinburgh AC are so proud of you.” Image: The Loughborough University graduate said he hopes there is more to come after his win. Pic: AP Wightman’s teammate Josh Kerr had finished first in his semi-final but was unable to threaten the medal positions and finished fifth. Elsewhere at the championships, defending 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith has reached the final of the event. The 26-year-old Briton came second in 21.96 seconds – a season best – in her semi-final.
