Jemma Reekie and Jake Wightman voted British athletes of the year

Jemma Reekie and Jake Wightman have been voted British athletes of the year by readers of Athletics Weekly magazine.
Jemma Reekie wins the 800m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. Picture: Paolo Bruno/Getty ImagesJemma Reekie wins the 800m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. Picture: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images
Jemma Reekie wins the 800m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. Picture: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

The Scottish middle distance runners both enjoyed an outstanding season.

Reekie broke three British indoor records inside eight days, in the 800 metres (1min 57.91sec), 1500m (4:00.52) and mile (4:17.88). Her 800m time was a world indoor lead and she also ran 1:58.63 outdoors.

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She finished the year with six wins in nine races, including the 800m at the Stockholm and Rome Diamond Leagues, as well as that quickest two-lap showing of 1:58.63 in Chorzow, Poland.

Jake Wightman reacts as he wins the 800m at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava. Picture: AFP via Getty ImagesJake Wightman reacts as he wins the 800m at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava. Picture: AFP via Getty Images
Jake Wightman reacts as he wins the 800m at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

Reekie said she was “honoured” to win the Athletics Weekly award. “With so many talented athletes in Britain, it means a lot,” she tweeted.

It was a Scottish 1-2 in the female category, with Reekie beating her training partner and friend Laura Muir into second place. English 5000m runner Laura Weightman was third.

Wightman’s season highlights included a new personal best in the 1500m. His time of 3:29.47 moved him to second on the all-time British list behind Mo Farah. It was achieved when finishing third behind Timothy Cheruiyot and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Monaco.

In the 800m, Wightman was second behind Daniel Rowden at the British Championships and then set a new PB while winning at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava in 1:44.18 to go to No 10 on the UK all-time rankings.

British pole vault record-breaker Harry Coppell was second in the Athletics Weekly awards, with Rowden third.

Reekie, Muir and Wightman were also joint winners of the Scottish Athletics 4J Studios Performer of the Year title in an unprecedented three-way tie.

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