BBC SPOTY nominee Jake Wightman has described his place on the shortlist as "surreal" following the most memorable season of his career.
The 28-year-old sensationally won gold in the 1500 metres at the World Championships in Oregon last summer, a first major global victory in middle distance event for a British male since Seb Coe at the 1984 Olympics. He also won silver and bronze in the European Championships and Commonwealth Games respectively, both over 800 metres.
And speaking exclusively to Mirror Sport , he described his year as "unbelievable", saying he couldn't have asked for more: "Obviously the big one was becoming world champion," he said. "That was something that even before I had got into the sport, I had dreamed of doing so to be able to tick it off this year has been a massive milestone.
"The rest of the season probably could have gone better than it did but, but in circumstances I didn’t ever expect to go into the Commonwealth Games and Europeans on the back of winning the worlds so that was always going to be a new challenge. It has been one to remember and hopefully be one to be a platform to go on and do even better things the next couple of years."
But that day in Oregon undoubtedly stands out in his mind, even if the finer detail is hard to recall: "The whole day was a bit of a blur. I finished racing so late and then the next day I celebrated with some sponsors, agents, my family and the next day I was back on the plane getting ready for Commies, so I didn’t really get the chance to look back on it," he admitted. "Even through the season you only reflect back on the most recent race. It is moments like this and the awards and SPOTY where I can kind of reflect and let it sink in a little bit more."
Wightman will be joined on the shortlist by gymnast Jessica Gadirova, footballer Beth Mead, curling's Eve Muirhead, cricketer Ben Stokes, and snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan, and admits being named took him by surprise: "It is surreal because I have known for so long but it was only when it was announced that it was finally like ‘jeez’ .
"With Ben Stokes, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Beth Mead, they are all absolute legends who I would consider on another level to me. But this year I'm on the same sort of level to be nominated which is something that will take a while to get used to. It will be a great night. I am really looking forward to being in that environment
"You always hope one day you could be nominated for something like this, but to actually know I’ll be on the show takes a bit of getting used to. I just want to soak it all in and wherever I finish that doesn’t really matter. The honour of being nominated for me is hopefully putting athletics on a bit of a pedestal to try and see if we can get a few more people watching it."
Two keen viewers will undoubtedly be Wightman's parents, who were both runners, with his father continuing to mentor him albeit amid some arguments: "My dad has definitely been the biggest influence by far on my running," continued Wightman. "It used to be the case where he would tell me exactly what to do and I would follow it religiously.
"Whereas the older I have got the more I have learnt about the sport myself and the better I have become. There is more I guess you could call it debate, or heated debate on what I believe is best for me and what he believes is best. It is a lot more challenging at times but it is always going to be the best thing for me, and the fact he has been my coach since I was 15 is probably what has made it work so well."
Wightman also hailed the inspiration of Mo Farah, and admitted the memories if watching athletics as a youngster prompted him to dream big: "My big one [inspiration] was Mo when I was young. Seeing what he was doing globally within distance running was more of an inspiration for me. I have always been a massive fan of the sport," he said.
Indeed, Wightman will be seeking to be the first Team GB athlete to win the award since Farah himself in 2017. Public voting will open when the show gets underway on BBC at 6.45pm on Wednesday.
