Jake Wightman Withdraws From British Trials – His 2024 Olympic Chances Are “Out of His Control Now”
The 2022 world champion withdrew from the Britis trials on Friday and will need a lot of help to make it to the Olympics
By Jonathan GaultJake Wightman‘s chances of competing at the 2024 Olympics are hanging by a thread after the 29-year-old withdrew from the British championships on Friday due to a calf injury. Wightman, the 2022 world champion at 1500 meters, was unable to defend his world title in Budapest last year due to a foot injury and now will need some favorable results and help from the British selectors if he is to compete in Paris at the Olympics in August.
Wightman first felt tightness in his calf during a workout last week but was optimistic it would settle down before the Microplus UK Athletics Championships, which begin on Saturday in Manchester. But as the meet grew closer, it would not go away, and Wightman was left with two bad options: try to run through the injury and risk making it even worse or let it heal and risk missing out on the Olympics. Wightman chose the latter.
“I was looking at can he run on a painkiller, but it’s one of those that if you rest it up, it will clear,” said Geoff Wightman, father and coach of Jake, told LetsRun.com. “It will probably end his season if he tried to run on it.”
Wightman was granted a “medical exemption,” which means he is still eligible for selection to the Olympics, but British Athletics’ selection policy means he faces a difficult path to Paris. Under the policy, the top two finishers in each event with the Olympic standard are automatically selected with a third discretionary spot determined by the selectors. But reigning World Championship medalists are also guaranteed a spot as long as they have shown form, which means that Josh Kerr, who won the Bowerman Mile last month in 3:45.34, is already on the team in the 1500. Kerr is entered in the 800 at the British trials.
Besides Wightman and Kerr, five other Brits have the Olympic 1500 standard of 3:33.50, but Matthew Stonier is injured and Elliot Giles is running the 800. That leaves Neil Gourley, Adam Fogg, and George Mills. If any of those two men take the top two spots in the 1500 final on Sunday, they are guaranteed selection and Wightman is off the 1500 team.
If someone without the standard breaks into the top two, Wightman’s hopes would remain alive but he would still require help from the selectors, who would have to trust that he could return to fitness by the time the Olympics begin in five weeks.
“It’s all completely out of his control now,” Geoff Wightman said. “It depends on results on the weekend. For 1500, there’s almost no chance because it’s first two plus Josh and the first two are very likely to have the standard.”
Wightman also has a chance to be selected in the 800, where he has found success in the past (1:43.65 pb, 2022 Euro silver) and is the 2024 British leader at 1:44.10. Four other Brits have the Olympic standard in that event: the talented but injury-prone Max Burgin (who has not raced at all in 2024 and will debut at the trials), along with Giles, reigning British champ Daniel Rowden and 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Ben Pattison, who is already on the team but still running the trials.
If Burgin, Giles, or Rowden go 1-2 at the trials in some order, they will be on the team (likewise if someone else finishes in the top two while running the 1:44.70 Olympic standard) along with Pattison as the wild-card. But Wightman’s chances are better in the 800 as Burgin is running the event and thus if the world championship bronze medallist gets first or second, then at least one discretionary spot would exist and could be used on Wightman, but he would still need help from the selectors.
Talk about Wightman’s injury on the world-famous LRC fan forum /messageboard:
