Munich magic again! Jake lands silver at 800m to complete medal hat-trick

Sunday 21st August 2022

Photo via European Athletics

Jake Wightman set the seal on his amazing championship season with a superb silver at the European Championships.

The Scot was just six hundredths away from taking the gold as he came home in 1:44.91 just behind Spain’s World Indoor champion, Mariano Garcia, who cross the line with a Personal Best run of 1:44.85.

Wightman of course won the World title over 1500m in Oregon just over a month ago and then backed up that performance with 1500m bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Jake opted for the shorter distance for Munich 2022 and the decision saw him climb another podium for silver and make it three medals from three major champs.

It also neatly rounded off the Scottish effort with GB and NI at the Europeans – with this the fifth medal claimed.

Eilish McColgan won two, Laura Muir took the 1500m gold and Nicole Yeargin and Zoey Clark played their part in bronze for the Women’s 4x400m team. Thus five of the 13-strong Scottish contingent in Germany will return home with precious cargo.

Irish athlete Mark English won the bronze medal with GB and NI’s Ben Pattison placed sixth. Jake was probably just a couple of metres back at the bell for his liking and Garcia clung on well over the final strides some 390m later.

‘I came into this really wanting to add to my World 1500m title just because I feel like that would’ve been a great way to end the season,’ said Jake,

‘I felt in shape to do it and I got very close but I’ve got a gold, a silver and a bronze from this season so at least I’ve got a full set.

‘I knew that I needed to be a lot closer than I was through the rounds. Garcia finishes very strong and I felt as though I was in the right place and I was wiling him to come back.

‘When you’re running like that the gaps don’t change much and I thought I had the strength to help me through. But as it happened I didn’t quite have enough and towards the end it never really came back.’

Many congratulations to Jake, his family, coach/dad Geoff and all at Edinburgh AC who played their part in his development some years ago.