'Very proud, very proud' - Jake Wightman's dad commentates on his son's gold medal win at world athletics championships

He’s been commentating on his son’s races since school sports day so when Jake Wightman landed gold at the World Championships in Oregon there was no prouder man than dad Geoff.

Geoff and Susan Wightman with their son Jake after he won gold in the men's 1500m final run at the World Athletics Championships, in Eugene, Oregon. Photo by Ashley Landis/AP/Shutterstock

It truly was a family affair as Jake stunned athletics by winning the 1500 metres at Hayward Field, beating Norway’s Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the process.

As Geoff called the race from inside the stadium in Eugene, mum Susan was nearby watching from the stands.

Both are former athletes and could not have been prouder as their son, an Edinburgh AC runner, pulled off the victory.

Wightman is the first Scot to win world athletics championships gold since Liz McColgan famously triumphed in the 10,000m in Tokyo in 1991.

Dad Geoff was the proudest man in the stadium as he described the drama unfold.

“I’ve been doing his school sports day since he was about 11 because my wife’s been his PE teacher,” said Wightman senior. “So we’ve just taken it to a slightly bigger stadia, slightly bigger crowds and slightly bigger medals.

“I’ve been watching his races for all his life, since he started as a little kid in primary school and to come through and win a global title here of all places. The main thing is it made up for the Olympics.

Jake Wightman, right, moves clear of Norway's Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen en route to victory in the 1500m final at Hayward Field. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“You only get one shot in four years. So I’m, very proud, very proud. He’s putting in a lot of hard work. He’s very meticulous in the way he prepares.”

Wightman more than made up for his 10th place finish in last year’s Olympics in Tokyo. He becomes the first Briton to win the World Championships 1500m in 39 years, since Steve Cram’s victory in 1983.

He hopes the win will help change his dad’s commentary style”

“Dad can be a bit of a robot on the mic sometimes, some people say robot some say professional,” he smiled. “I hope he broke that down today. It will be interesting to watch it back. My mum was in tears, at least someone was crying.

“I didn’t hear him, hopefully that’s because he was a bit emotional. One of the first things he said was ‘get ready for Commies (Commonwealth Games) now’.

“I’m 28 now, I don’t know how many more opportunities I will get to do this and I hope there is a lot more to come. I need to make the most of it. It’s important to hit the milestone like this, seven, eight-year-old me would never have believed.

“There are so many people who have helped me get to this point. My dad has coached me since I was 14 or 15. Every club coach from Edinburgh, Loughborough Uni, British Athletics have all played a part. The main thing is to now thank everyone who has helped me.”

Wightman, who had gone into the championships ranked second in the world, went for the win with 200m to go and held off Ingebrigtsen in the home straight.

Spain’s Mohamed Katir won bronze while Wightman’s team-mate Josh Kerr was fifth. Kerr, a fellow Edinburgh AC runner, had won bronze at the Olympics but was edged out of the medals on this occasion as the day belonged to the Wightmans.