Jake Wightman stuns to land medal in world 1500m final as Josh Kerr suffers title defence dejection
How Scots trio fared in final of men’s 1500m in Tokyo
Jake Wightman won a stunning silver medal in the final of the men's 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo as Josh Kerr's title defence ended in dejection.
Wightman was agonisingly close to becoming world champion for a second time but was pipped at the line by Portuguese athlete Isaac Nader by two hundredths of a second in a time of 3:34.10 with Reynold Cheruiyot of Kenya third.
Great Britian team-mate and fellow Scottish athlete Kerr was bidding to win back-to-back world titles but started limping after appearing to injure himself midway through the race and hobbled over the line in last place in 4:11.23, over 30 seconds behind the rest of the field.
Wightman admitted his silver felt like gold as he exceeded expectations having fought back from an injury-hit season to race in Japan. He won the gold medal when the Championships were held in Eugene in 2022 before Kerr took his world title in Budapest in 2023.
“I knew I still had something in me,” Wightman told BBC Sport. “I knew I was gong to run to try and win today and whatever happened, I would be happy.
"When you get that close you cannot help but think what if I had done more? But I left everything out there. It has been a few bleak years so making this team was the main thing.
"I have made some big changes in my life this year. Getting a new coach and moving to Manchester. I hoped they were for the best and now that the big stage is here, I stepped up.
"I want to thank my coaching team and my Dad. It will be awhile to process this. I believe that you get what you pay for in the end. I am so happy that all the persistence has been worth it.
"I felt like I had another gear all these Championships but I did not know what would happen. This silver is a gold for me and I am so relieved."
Neil Gourley, the third Scot in the 14-man field, finished 10th with a time of 3:35.56.
"That was a really tough field to be in," Gourley told BBC Sport. "I had bigger goals in it.
"I wasn't in a terrible spot with 300 metres to go. Normally I can change gears but today I felt tired. I just did not have it.
"I have exceeded expectations and had my best form when it counted. Given where I was a few weeks ago, I am proud of where I have ended up."
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