Following his bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the Commonwealth Games, Jake Wightman, who is also the current world champion in the event, made a plea: “I hope I don’t get criticized too much for not winning it.”
If anyone has any sense, they won’t. This was, without a doubt, the most challenging event in the entire athletics program at the Commonwealth Games, and it was run at a blistering pace.
In addition to Wightman, the field included the second, third, and fourth place finishers from last year’s Olympics. The fact that none of them won, with Australia’s Ollie Hoare taking a surprising gold medal, speaks volumes.
It is incredibly difficult to transition from the high of a World Championships final to another major event so quickly, especially considering the significant time difference and jet lag from traveling from America’s west coast to Birmingham.
Hoare’s failure to even make the world final in Oregon was most likely the determining factor in the end, after a grueling and fast-paced race. Unlike when he announced his son as the world champion, this time Wightman’s father and coach, Geoff, could only cheer him on to a bronze-medal finish for Scotland.
“That was the best I could have done,” said Wightman. “I didn’t want to settle for minor medals and be pedestrian. I wanted to make a statement, but I didn’t feel as good as I did a couple of weeks ago.
“People don’t realize how high the World Championships was. Two weeks is nothing to reset. It’s mentally challenging to come back from that.
“I’ve accomplished what I’ve wanted to do since I was a child and won a global title, so anything beyond that is a bonus.
“It’s been a great season. It’s still something, right? So I’m relatively satisfied with that. I’m not buzzing, but I’m relieved.”
After sitting comfortably in the pack for the majority of the race, Wightman took the lead slightly earlier than he did when winning his world title, picking up the pace with around 250m to go. In Eugene, his strength allowed him to hold off all challengers, but in Birmingham, those efforts caught up with him.
First, Kenya’s former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot passed him. Then, Hoare, finishing strongly on the outside, followed suit. As the Kenyan tired nearing the finish line, Hoare seized the opportunity to secure one of the most unexpected Commonwealth titles in a time of three minutes 30.12 seconds.
A fatigued and stumbling Cheruiyot finished just behind in 3:30.21, with Wightman holding on for bronze in 3:30.53.
It was a fast race, with eight of the 12 finalists setting personal bests, and the top six all breaking the Commonwealth Games record set in 1974.
Regarding his decision to surge ahead early, Wightman explained: “It was instinctive. I wanted to reach the bend in the lead again.
“I knew I wasn’t as fresh. It’s a different track and stadium to race in. I was barely hanging on in the home straight, as opposed to feeling strong.
“I felt quite vulnerable, but I wouldn’t change it. If I had won, I would be feeling pretty good about the decision.
“I knew it would be a tough home straight, but I hoped that everyone else would be feeling the same.
“Initially, I was disappointed, but if I had told myself I would come back two weeks after winning the World Champs and pick up a bronze in a similar field, I would be pretty happy.”
Olympic finalist Hoare revealed that he was fueled by the disappointment of failing to make the world final two weeks ago.
“The Commonwealth Games 1,500m is incredibly tough,” he said. “On the start line, you hear the accolades of every athlete. To be there in such a deep event, where not many Australians have won medals, was a true privilege.
“I wanted it, especially after the World Champs, which was such a disappointment. I thought about that race in Eugene, and I thought, ‘Not today. I’m going for it today.’ And I was able to come through in the end.”
‘Frustrated’ Hodgkinson Claims Silver
Despite solidifying her status as the new queen of British athletics, Keely Hodgkinson experienced an upset in the 800m as she had to settle for silver in the closing stages of a truly remarkable race won by Kenya’s Mary Moraa.
Moraa started with an extremely fast pace, but then seemed to fall behind and slow down, dropping more than 10m behind the leader and finding herself in last place after the bell.
Yet as Hodgkinson began to take control on the back straight, Moraa, who later confessed that she had “lost hope because everyone went past me,” found a burst of energy and surged past the entire field to retake the lead with approximately 50m to go. Moraa claimed victory in 1:57.07, with Hodgkinson finishing second in 1:57.40 and 1,500m specialist Laura Muir making a late charge for bronze in 1:57.87.
The top two reversed their positions from last month’s World Championships, where Hodgkinson won silver and Moraa took bronze.
“Frustrated is definitely the right word,” said Hodgkinson. “I’m not sure what happened. Everything went by so quickly. Maybe I could have been more patient with myself. But I gave it my all.”
Hughes Wins Silver in 200m
Four years after being disqualified for making contact with another runner in the closing stages of the race, Zharnel Hughes won silver in the Commonwealth Games 200m.
In 2018, Hughes crossed the finish line first, only for the judges to rule that his arm had struck Jereem Richards of Trinidad & Tobago, putting Richards in first place. This time, Richards successfully defended his title with a time of 19.80 seconds, and Hughes claimed silver in 20.12 seconds.
England’s reigning Commonwealth hammer throw champion, Nick Miller, retained his title with a throw of 76.43m and called for more support from Britain’s governing body for his discipline.
“I might get in trouble for saying this, but we don’t get many opportunities,” he said. “There are a lot of guys in this country who could probably beat me if they competed. But we lose them to sports like rugby because our sport lacks popularity.”
England’s Adam Hague and Harry Coppell won silver and bronze, respectively, in the pole vault.
Laugher Overcomes Setback to Complete Home Clean Sweep
By Jamie Gardner
Jack Laugher rebounded from a zero score in qualifying to claim bronze in an English one-two-three finish in the men’s 3-meter springboard final. He admitted that such a devastating setback could have “ruined him” in the past.
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