A milestone birthday went largely unmarked for Jake Wightman last week. It is a similar story most years when the occasion coincides with the height of the outdoor athletics season.
“It's a grim number so I can’t say it was one I was looking forward to,” he says with a smile. “It’s always a funny one when it’s July as you can’t do anything for it. I’ll do something in the off-season when I can actually enjoy it and relax a bit.”
Turning 30 isn’t hugely significant in its own right but the milestone also serves as another reminder that time is relentlessly marching on. Healthy again after an injury-blighted 2023, the former world champion is preparing to head to his second Olympic Games, fully conscious that it could also be his last.
Some athletes believe that time lost to lengthy lay-offs can be added on at the end of their careers but it is not a view that Wightman subscribes to. Instead, there is a determination to squeeze every last drop out of whatever time and opportunities are left. It will take something special in Paris – likely a gold medal – to surpass the high of toppling the best in the world, including Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, over 1500m in 2022 but the Scot believes he has what it takes to rack up more magical moments in the years ahead.
“Age in sport is different for everyone depending on your start point and what you’ve been through to get there,” he offers. “Now that I’m 30 I know that I’m not at the start of my career, I’m towards the end. But we don’t know yet when that end will be.
“In 2022 I would be on the start list for races and would never be among the oldest. This year, though, when they show the dates of births I usually am among the oldest and I’m thinking, ‘Jeez, that happened quickly!’
“But having missed out last year it put an emphasis on my 2024 needing to be good, mainly as it’s the Olympics but also because I don’t know how many more chances I’ll get to go to global championships. I’ve been making teams since 2014 when I went to the Commies so I’ve been doing this for 10 years now and had a smooth sailing career up until last year so I can't complain too much.
“When the time comes to look back on my career, 2023 won’t be something I even think about. I’ll focus on all the good parts. The bad bits will be quickly forgotten about.”
In the afterglow of Wightman's seismic victory in Eugene two years ago it would have been impossible to imagine Ingebrigtsen defending his 1500m title in Paris without the Scot alongside him. But a series of injuries have dictated otherwise, sending Wightman into the 800m instead while fellow Scots Josh Kerr and Neil Gourley contest the longer distance in his absence. It is not the route he had mapped out in his head but he is determined to make the most of this opportunity.
“Getting selected was as much relief as anything,” he admits. “I didn’t really want to think about the alternative which was not going at all. It probably has more implications for my career that I’m doing the 800. If I run as well over this as I would have hoped to over 1500, it will mean an even greater career as I’ll have shown I can do it over multiple events. So I’m excited.
“If I’m in the final – which I hope to get to – you’ve got to go there trying to win it. What potentially makes me more dangerous to the others is they don’t race me as much. That makes me a bit more of an unknown. If you get to the final, there are eight guys, and three will come away with a medal. Those are pretty good odds but the hardest part will be getting there in the first place. That’s why I need to treat every round as if it’s the final.”
Missing out on the 1500m will unsurprisingly gnaw at him for a while yet. “I think it will be tough to see that final the day before I race,” he admits. “But there’s nothing I can do. My body let me down when I needed it not to. It wasn’t that I wasn’t good enough. I still have the chance to achieve what I want to, just over a different distance.”
Wightman is one of nine Scots named in the GB athletics team and, with Kerr and Laura Muir both expected to compete for medals, he believes this ought to be considered a golden era for Scottish middle-distance running.
“The exciting thing is we have so many people running well,” adds the Edinburgh AC athlete. “The focus isn’t just on one person. I hope people all across Scotland appreciate, across all sports, the one we seem to be excelling at just now is middle-distance athletics. It feels like we’re a powerhouse which is exciting. These Games are another chance for us to showcase how good we are.”
Wightman was one of several athletes to have cameras follow him everywhere for a new behind-the-scenes documentary, giving detailed insight into the dedication required to reach the top. With £300m of National Lottery investment helping to fund more than 1100 elite athletes - allowing them to train full-time and have access to the world’s best coaches and facilities - the Scot believes the programme provides a chance for lottery devotees to see how their money is spent.
“It was a cool opportunity as we don’t get many chances to showcase ourselves, not just as athletes but as people too,” he adds. “We had cameras come with us at training camp and at home to look at what we get up day to day. I hope viewers realise that they play a small part in what we do. If you buy a National Lottery ticket then you’ve contributed to our journey by allowing us to be full-time athletes. I’ll miss the premiere as we’re away but I’m sure my girlfriend and my sister will offer critical feedback on how I come across in it!”
Jake Wightman features in Path to Paris: The Hunt for Gold, a new documentary supported by The National Lottery airing on Saturday at 5pm on Channel 4. The programme follows British athletes as they prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and offers a unique insight into how National Lottery players support them on their journey.
