Chris O'Hare's form raises the bar for rivals

Chris O'Hare's Scottish record at this weekend's Diamond League meeting in Monaco has definitively raised the bar for his 1500 metres rivals, his British team-mate Jake Wightman has claimed.

Chris OHare won the British trial, Anniversary Games and now has a new Scottish record. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

With less than two weeks to go until the IAAF world championships begin in London, the double European medallist has underlined his status as a contender with his effort on Friday and his victory at the Anniversary Games earlier this month.

O’Hare, not fully satisfied with his effort in the Principality, believes he can run even quicker than his new best time of 3:33.61. And Wightman, who will join him amid an Edinburgh AC trio at the worlds with teen prospect Josh Kerr, concedes the eldest of the trio is going to be tough to stop.

“Chris is just absolutely killing it at the moment,” he said. “He said before he left for Monaco that he was going for a personal best. If you look at what he’s done over the last few months, he’s really taken things up to another level, which is brilliant for him.

“But that’s good because it pushes me and Josh and everyone else to try and follow him.”

Wightman is currently at an altitude training camp in the Pyrenees with O’Hare and a clutch of endurance athletes including Laura Muir and Andy Butchart. “But I’ve raced straight off altitude so I will come down before London,” the 23-year-old confirmed. Elsewhere yesterday, there was a boost for Olympic finalist Adam Gemili who proved his fitness after injury for the sprint relay in London by winning the 100m in Mannheim in 10.18 seconds.

Meanwhile, Sammi Kinghorn has her sights set on completing a medal treble on the final day of the world para athletics championships in London.

The 21-year-old wheelchair racer, who took the T38 200 metres title last weekend before landing 400m bronze in midweek, has two opportunities to extend her haul in this morning’s 100m and tonight’s 800m.

However the Borderer’s coach Ian Mirfin insists one out of two would satisfy goals.

“It’s a tough schedule,” he said. “But the 100m has always been the main one with a medal prospect. There is stiff competition but we’re hopeful she’ll do well. The 800 will be a bit of fun. She’s still learning the non-lane races and the tactics you need in them so this will be good experience.”

Jonathan Broom-Edwards claimed silver in the men’s T44 high jump in the first session of the World Para Athletics Championships yesterday.

The 29-year-old cleared two metres and eight centimetres but lost out to Polish world record holder Maciej Lepiato who cleared 2.14 metres.

Broom-Edwards added to his Paralympic silver medal, which he won in Rio last year, with Great Britain’s medal total now 31 ahead of Sunday’s final sessions. The Colchester-born athlete, who has clubbed foot, cleared 2.08m and opted out of 2.10m but failed on all three attempts at 2.12m leaving Lepiato to claim victory in Saturday morning’s session.

He said: “He [Lepiato)]was there to be had and I cleared 2.16m the other day. I try not to think of him when I’m competing but he is my rival and, even though he’s such a nice guy, of course I want to be on the top stage.

“With the changes I’ve made this year, I know I’m in a position to push myself to the next level. If I can get my jumps right, he will be put off by that.

“He helps push me and I’m sure I help push him. I want to beat him at his best and if I’m going to win gold I want to do it right. That means he’s got to raise his game as well.”

Zak Skinner jumped a personal best of 6.64m but could only finish fourth in the T13 long jump final. He said: “The jumps went well – for the first two I just wanted to get one in – the first one was a foul, but I managed to regain my composure and put one in on jump two which put me in good stead, so I was able to relax a bit and take in the crowd.”

Georgie Hermitage eased to victory in her heat of the women’s T37 100m in a season’s best of 13.61 seconds to reach the evening’s final while Laura Sugar qualified for Sunday’s T44 200m final with a personal best of 27.09 seconds.

Graeme Ballard reached Saturday’s T36 final, qualifying in 12.66 seconds and he will be joined by Paul Blake who ran in 12.85 seconds.