“Oh my,” Jake Wightman whispered after pulling off the greatest heist of these World Athletics Championships. “Oh my.” Shock and awe were etched across his face, in those fast dilating pupils and rapidly widening jaw. But could you blame him? The 28-year-old from Nottingham was suddenly coming to terms with his first major global medal. And it was gold.
As the small British contingent in Eugene began to celebrate the country’s first 1500m world title since Steve Cram in 1983, the giant screen at Hayward Field suddenly switched to the stadium announcer. “I have got to tell you why the camera is on me,” said Geoff Wightman, a former top marathon runner and the voice of athletics in stadiums for decades. “That’s my son. I coach him. And he’s the world champion.”
