Sebastian Coe says Jake Wightman has the chance to become Britain’s most successful ever middle-distance runner.
He believes he can also pave the way for the greatest generation of British track talent since the 1980s.
Coe, president of World Athletics, won back-to-back Olympic titles at 1500 metres and set a dozen world records. But so impressed was he by the way Wightman crowned himself world champion over the same distance that he declared the 28-year old had an opportunity to tread new ground.
“This is potentially a real purple patch for Jake because of the way the calendar is now,” Coe said, pointing to a schedule condensed by the pandemic.
“He will defend this next year and then, hopefully, be in great shape for the Olympics a year later.”
Factor in the Commonwealth Games and Europeans still to come this summer and Coe reckons there is the potential for Wightman to fill his boots.
“That’s no time at all,” he said. “If Jake can log that he could technically end up as the most successful British middle distance runner we have ever had.”
That might be overdoing it given Coe’s own pedigree, not to mention Steve Ovett and Steve Cram - though it is true none of that trio won both world and Olympic titles.
Easier to accept is his assertion that the nation is on the threshold of a golden generation of middle-distance runners to rival the celebrated trio’s era.
“I think that’s right if you look at the progress we’ve made, both indoors and out,” he said, pointing to Olympic medallists Laura Muir, Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr - and now Wightman’s gold.
“It’s the best pool of talent we’ve had for a long time. But somebody needed to get across the line, just to show others that it’s possible. What Jake did will be inspirational. You see. There will be others now.
“They will look at it and know he’s not super human. He’s come through with proper training, speed-endurance training. He’s running both 800 and 1500. That’s a great template that he’s shown works.”
Max Burgin is another high-flying Brit and could even turn out to be the best of the lot.
But judgement is on hold as the 20-year old, ranked No1 in the world over 800m, was yesterday struck down by injury.
In his absence Daniel Rowden (1:45.53) and Kyle Langford (1:45.68) qualified for the two-lap semi-finals - with Langford inspired by watching Muir and Wightman.
“It’s been amazing,” he said. “Laura winning a medal gave the team a boost and then Jake winning just sparked us – we were all cheering watching in the lounge, crying, tearing up.
“For me it really lit a spark up as I wasn’t really too bothered for the whole week and even yesterday, right up until Jake’s race and then after it I felt ‘okay, I’m excited to go now!’”
