By Aaron Heisen, University of Oregon SOJC Track Bureau
Jake Wightman’s jubilation was masked by a look of shock.
As he crossed the finish line Tuesday in the men’s 1,500-meter final at the World Athletics Championship, he placed his hands on top of his head; his jaw dropped, almost as if his mind couldn’t comprehend what his body had just accomplished.
And amid the roaring Hayward Field crowd that cheered Wightman on as he overtook Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the final turn, and through the frontstretch as he held on to win, a voice could be heard over the stadium’s speaker. It was the voice of his father, Geoff Wightman, the stadium’s public address announcer.
His voice permeated throughout the stadium. “Oh, it’s so close. And it’s Jake Wightman winning the World Championship title.”
While Wightman’s father watched the race closely to provide commentary to the fans, his mom, Susan, was overcome with a contrasting feeling as she cheered in the stands just above the finish line. Anxious, she decided to close her eyes as Wightman tried to hold off Ingebrigtsen down the final stretch.
Wightman’s parents displayed conflicting emotions — a phenomenon that he had grown accustomed to throughout his track career, as his parents took on different roles in his development. Each role, however, played a crucial part in Wightman’s journey to winning the 1,500-meter world championship in a world-leading time of 3 minutes, 29.43 seconds.
As an experienced public address announcer, Geoff must remain impartial. On Tuesday, those rules did not apply. As he made the call, he raised his arms in the air and pumped his fists.
In addition, Geoff has coached Wightman since the age of 14. He’s had to toe the line of showing emotion as a father while offering constructive criticism as a coach. It’s a give-and-take that the son described as “robotic.”
“It’s quite a difficult relationship to fathom,” Susan said. “Geoff can be slightly black and white at times. He doesn’t discuss emotions that easily with Jake, as an athlete.”
On Tuesday, as the two walked into the mixed zone together, Geoff greeted his son with congratulations, before reminding him that the British Commonwealth Games start next week. The two had to catch a plane home early Wednesday morning to prepare.
Both Geoff and Susan are former distance runners themselves. Susan, however, has taken a step back and leaves all the coaching to Geoff. Instead, she supports her son while observing from the stands.
On race days she tends to keep a distance from her son, sending him text messages of encouragement. At the World Championships, however, she waited just outside the preparation zone to wish him “good luck.”
Almost a year ago, she had seen Wightman finish 10th in the 1,500-meter final at the Tokyo Olympic Games. He looked drained entering the bell lap as Ingebrigtsen led an Olympic-record-setting pace.
After that race, Susan knew her son’s training would have to change to prepare for a fast-paced race.
On Tuesday, that strategy came into play. Ingebrigtsen bolted out to set a fast pace, but Wightman followed him stride for stride through the first two laps. He then positioned himself behind the leaders in the last lap, hoping that his kick would be strong enough to overtake Ingebrigtsen.
As Wightman began to make his move on the final turn, his mind drifted back to the Olympic Games.
“I didn’t want to leave the race like in Tokyo where I felt as though I hadn’t given a true account of how I wanted to run it, how I believed I could run,” Wightman said. “So I just thought, ‘Screw this, I’m going to give it a go.’”
Susan’s mind also returned to the Tokyo Olympics, where she watched in angst as Wightman’s opponents streamed by him. She couldn’t shake the image, so she closed her eyes.
“I missed the best part of the race,” Susan said. “It was one of those situations where you have to pinch yourself to think he has won this.”
An hour or so after the race, Wightman stood behind the podium waiting for Geoff to announce his name as the gold-medal winner. Instead of showing his fatherly emotions, as he did when his son crossed the finish line, Geoff took the approach of an unbiased PA announcer — an approach similar to his coaching style.
He took a deep breath and composed himself, before speaking into the microphone.
“Gold medalist and World Athletics Champion, representing Great Britain, Jake Wightman.”
