Jake Wightman has to hit the ground running in tomorrow’s Westminster Mile in London. Well almost.
The 23-year-old only flew into the UK from America yesterday having spent almost a month training at altitude in Flagstaff following his superb bronze medal-winning exploits in the 1500m at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. With a strong field expected in London, including compatriot Chris O’Hare and GB Olympian Charlie Grice, competition will be tough but Wightman is not tempering his expectations.
“The thing I’m most worried about is how I’m going to feel after the travel but I think I’m fit so hopefully it will be alright,” he said.
“I definitely lost some fitness after Gold Coast but I’ve got myself back into decent shape and so I’m really looking forward to getting the season started now.
“I just need to start running as quick as I can and get racing fit. The good thing about tomorrow’s race is that, because it’s not on the track, it’s not too focused on time but it’d be nice to go sub-four minutes, which is what everybody is speaking about this year.
“But to win it is the main thing and just to get racing and to be competitive again because it’s been almost two months since I’ve raced. So it’ll be nice to get a feel for things again and that will hopefully set me up nicely for the next few races.”
Wightman initially made his name when he won the 1500m at the prestigious Olso Diamond League meet last summer but his medal in Gold Coast, which was his first major championship medal, has ensured that he is now one of the athletes who has a target on their back.
He refuses to get too carried away by the hype though.
“I guess it’s a good thing if people are watching for me,” he said.
“But I still don’t think I’m that proven in the sport - it’s all based upon medals and I’ve only got one so far so I need to do a bit more to be one of the ones that people are really watching. It’s nice that people know my name and that I’m seen as a bit more of a threat. It’s when the Kenyan’s start seeing you as a threat that you really know that you’ve made it.
“I think it’s all about getting more championships exposure and being exposed to that level of races. The more of them I do, the more confident I get and the more sure I am of how I should run them. It’s about not making mistakes, which is what I’m focusing on now.
“Luckily for me, at the Commonwealth Games, that all worked out - I didn’t make any obvious mistakes in the rounds or the final so I was pretty pleased with how I ran. So if I can do that at every champs whilst still being able to run quick then, over the next few years, I should have some good opportunities to do well.
Wightman’s next major goal this summer is August’s European Championships in Berlin and he admits that he is hungry to add further to his medal haul.
“I’m now focusing on the Europeans and that will come round quicker than I’m expecting I think,” he said.
“But my medal in Gold Coast has definitely given me a lot of confidence that I can go to championships and pick up medals. This year is a good opportunity to pick up medals - it was great that I did that at Commies and the Europeans is another chance. So I need to get ready for the British trials because that will be here before I know it.”
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