Jake Wightman dumps dad in ruthless coaching shake-up as he targets return to 1500m dominance

Jake Wightman will no longer be coached by his father Geoff, the former 1500m world champion has announced.

The father-son duo shared the experience together when Jake won gold on the track in 2022 and Geoff was commentating on the race as the stadium announcer.

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Jake has had long periods out with injury since then, including missing the 2023 season and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"The point has come in my career where both physically and mentally we both need to go our separate ways," Jake Wightman told the BBC.

"By doing this we ensure there's plenty more to come in the future, not as a coach/athlete but as a father/son, away from the intensity and stress of training and racing.

"Coaches don't get the gratitude they deserve at the best of times, but even less so when it began driving down to races across the country as a kid, to flying across the world together, all in pursuit of helping me live out my dream.

"So this is to say thank you Dad for all the years of selfless time and money. I hope we can both look back on what we achieved together with immense pride."

Jake Wightman's 2022 world title was the first global gold in a middle distance event for a British male since Seb Coe's 1500 m title at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The event in Eugene, Oregon on July 2022, saw Wightman clock a personal best and world-leading time of 3:29.23, beating reigning Olympic champion and European record holder Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:29.47).

He holds three Scottish records (800m, 1000m, mile) and is a two-time British champion. Jake is lucky to be born in a family of runners. His father and coach Geoff represented England in the marathon at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, whilst his mother Susan Tooby and his aunt Angela Tooby represented Great Britain at the Summer Olympics Seoul 1988.