Laura wins bronze in Worlds final – as Josh, Jake await Men’s showdown

Tuesday 19th July 2022

Photo from James Rhodes in Oregon

Magnificent Laura Muir claimed a quite superb bronze medal in the Women’s 1500m final at the World Champs.

Laura thus became only the second Scot to win an individual medal at these championships – after Liz McColgan took gold over 10,000m in Japan fully 31 years ago.

Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay set a blistering early pace – at one stage threatening the World Record – and it required a time of 3:55.28 for the Scot to take third place with Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon surging to the title.

Kenyan Kipyegon won it in 3:52.96 and Laura’s third fastest run of her career was only just outside her British Record of 3:54.50 (run last year to claim silver behind Kipyegon at the Olympics).

It was yet another awesome display on the global stage from the 29-year-old from Kinross, in the fourth Women’s 1500m final of her career.

Many congratulations to Laura, her family and coach Andy Young as well as everyone at Dundee Hawkhill Harriers and Glasgow University who was involved in her development down the years.

Laura says thanks for your support

BBC Sport website

‘I’ve known going out fast but that was, wow – I didn’t look at the clock, I wasn’t going to look because it wasn’t going to be good.

‘But I am not surprised it was that fast. It felt that painful and it was really sore because it was so fast.

‘That is a World Championship final, you have got to expect it to be hard and be quick – the splits on that race were on extra level.

‘It does show if I can get 3.55 under those kind of splits then there is a really fast time in there.’

+++

Beth Dobbin finished fourth in her Women’s 200m heat and her time of 23.04 wasn’t enough to go through.

‘I was expecting a bit more,’ said Beth.

‘It was very close to the times I’ve been running this year. I think it’s the sign of the winter I went through but I hoped that I’d build on the windy time I ran at Trials but it obviously wasn’t to be.

‘All I can put it down to is post-viral fatigue from the glandular fever because when I’m on it, training is going well but it’s not every session that is going well.

‘It’s very frustrating to come into a World Champs with a fast track and come away with a time like that. It’s not what I would want.’

+++

Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman ensured Scotland will be well represented once again in the Men’s 1500m final.

In the first of two semi-finals, Kerr sat in the pack with Neil Gourley and waited for his chance.

And finally the Olympic bronze medallist pierced through traffic on the home straight to win the heat in a leisurely 3:36.92.

‘It was just being patient,’ said Josh. ‘I knew I had a lot of gears left in that 100 and I could have worked too hard to find the gap, I just waited for it to happen.

‘I’ve got a medal and I don’t have the best colour, so I want to change that. I’m not here to come second or third, I’m here to win.’

There was disappointment for Gourley who, despite a lunge on the line that saw him collide with USA’s John Gregorek, finished just outside auto qualification in sixth.

Gourley said: ‘I was proud that I fought, and I was close. I fell in the last few metres and maybe if I hadn’t lost that momentum I would have crossed the line in fifth, but it’s fine margins.’

Jake safely negotiated the quicker of the two semi-finals, running a measured 3:34.48 for third.

The UK champion settled in comfortably behind Kenya’s Abel Kipsang and USA’s Stewart McSweyn who bounded out in front, and safely advanced to a second global final.

Wightman said: ‘The plan was just to get through as effortlessly as possible which I’m trying to do at the moment so it’s about being safe and being able to relax a little bit in rounds like this.’

+++

Nick Percy was close to the Men’s discus final with a last round throw of 63.20m. That left him in 14th place as the top 12 made it through.

‘You have three attempts and every round you have to reassess it,’ said British champion Nick.

‘The first throw didn’t go so well, but you try to reset and go again. 62.90m came on the second throw and I knew I could catch a big one.

‘When I saw 63.20m I was so happy, but then I saw 13^th come up on the board and I fell to my knees. It was so close and it’s the furthest it’s ever taken to get to a final.

‘I’m very proud to be here, but it’s very difficult right now because it’s very fresh that I’ve juts missed out on the final. I’m 7.5m up on what I did five years ago at the London World Champs, so I will take the positives away.’

+++

Tags: Beth Dobbin, Jake Wightman, Josh Kerr, Laura Muir, Neil Gourley, Nick Percy, Oregon, World Champs