Jake Wightman stuns the 1500m field to capture the world title, as his dad comments | Athletics World Championships

“Oh my god,” Jake Wightman whispered after pulling off the biggest heist of this IAAF World Championships. “Oh my.” Shock and awe were written on the 28-year-old’s face, in those rapidly dilating pupils and jaw. But could you blame him? The Nottingham runner suddenly had to come to terms with his first major global medal. And it was gold.

As the small British contingent in Eugene began celebrating the country’s first 1500m world title since Steve Cram in 1983, the giant screen at Hayward Field suddenly switched to the 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 coach him. And he’s world champion.”

Somehow, Wightman held back tears in a moment that was certainly unprecedented in the history of broadcasting and elite sport. But as he later revealed, he’d been preparing for it for most of his life. “I’ve been doing his school gym day since he was about eleven years old because my wife is his gym teacher,” he later explained happily.

“We just got it into slightly bigger stadiums, slightly bigger crowds and slightly bigger medals. But it was surreal to watch him win gold. I thought: I know this guy. He looks familiar.”

But make no mistake: this was Britain’s most surprising gold medal in the 39-year history of the World Championships. UK Athletics certainly didn’t expect that. Because she had already booked Wightman for a flight home at 6:35 p.m. local time on Wednesday – an hour after the 1500 meter medal ceremony was supposed to take place. Although luckily for Wightman it was hastily switched to 30 minutes into his race.

Over the years, no one had doubted that Wightman had talent. But so far he has only had two bronze medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and European Championships for his efforts. He was both the Mr. Nice and Mr. Nearly man of athletics. Everyone liked him. But when it came to World and Olympic finals, nobody really feared him.

That meant he started as an underdog in a high-profile field that included 2022 world’s fastest man Abel Kipsang, alongside the Olympic 1-2-3 of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Timothy Cheruiyot and Josh Kerr. A year ago in Tokyo, Wightman had finished tenth in such august company, but in the depths of winter, father and son had hatched a daring plan to toughen Jr. up.

It took Wightman to swallow his pride and compete in more cross-country and 3,000m races – events well outside of his comfort zone – so that when he reached that final in Eugene he would keep the strength in his legs and achieve his 1st place finish -Minute running time could unleash 44 seconds 800m speed when it really mattered. And on a day when temperatures were creeping into the 90s, the plan worked like a dream.

Wightman kept close contact with the leaders as Kipsang, who hadn’t lost a race all season, led and then fell back in the 700m. At this point, Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic gold medalist and fastest man in the field, took over and carried on. But the pace was never fast enough to dampen Wightman’s speed and with 200m to go he batted to glory.

Geoff and Susan Wightman with their world champion son Jake in Eugene. Photo: Ashley Landis/`

After crossing the finish line in a winning time of 3:29.23, Geoff’s first words were professionalism personified. “Jake Wightman just had the run of his life,” he 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 back. The other Brit in the race, Kerr, was never really threatened before finishing fifth. But he showed considerable class afterwards, heartily congratulating his friend as he lay on the track before pulling him to his feet.

“The only point for a good 800m PB in a race like this is when you’re there with 200m to go,” said Wightman, whose win marked a streak of seven straight gold medals by Kenyan-born 1500m sprinters finished. “I knew that the later the race went, the better the chances got. 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 start Guide

How do I sign up for breaking sports news notifications?

Demonstrate

• Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play Store on Android phones by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
• If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re using the latest version.
• In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button in the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
• Turn on sports notifications.

Thank you for your feedback signal.

Ingebrigtsen was less ebullient about the loss. “I’m embarrassed to be so good but also so bad,” he said. Later, when asked what he thought of his father’s comment, Wightman Jr. smiled, “He can be a bit of a robot on the mic at times — some people say robot, some people say pro. I hope he collapsed today. It will be interesting to look back on. My mother was in tears, someone was crying!” Wightman Sr’s response? “I have to be impartial, otherwise I’m not allowed to comment on the 1500 m after his departure.”

He also barely had time to process it all before returning 15 minutes later to commentate on the men’s 400m hurdles final, where another Norwegian Olympic champion, Karsten Warholm, was also beaten.

But the pride was clearly evident in his voice when his son finally stepped onto the top rung of the podium a few minutes later. “Gold medalist and representative of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Jake Wightman,” he said.

It sounds like he has a little lump in his throat. And if he did, he was far from alone.