- author, Tyron Smith
- role, Senior reporter for BBC Sport Scotland
Jake Wightman feels he is in “good form” but knows there is a battle ahead to even be selected for the British team as the former world 1500m champion seeks Olympic glory for a third time.
The Scotsman was hit by injury in 2023 but has been in good form this year and has already qualified for this summer's Paris tournament.
But so do many other British runners, including current world champions Scots Josh Kerr and Neil Gourley.
“He'll get third place, as Josh did last year and what he did this year, which means the rest of us have to get the top two places to be selected,” Wightman told BBC Scotland.
“Back when I first tried to create the Olympic Games, there were only two people who met the criteria.”
At 29 years old, Wightman realized he might never compete in an Olympic Games again.
“This could be my last game, so I've got to make sure I do everything I can to win it and give myself the best chance,” he said.
“My previous Olympic experiences have been not being selected for the national team in 2016 and a disappointing finish in the final in 2021, so I'm hoping to do better in my third appearance.”
Wightman believes that “if I hadn't had a bad Olympic experience in 2021, I wouldn't be world champion in 2022.”
“I learned a lot from it and I'm thankful it worked out because it taught me a lot of things that I've taken with me to subsequent championships,” he said.
“I'm 29 now, so I've made a lot of mistakes in races and a lot of mistakes in that sort of thing and in preparation, so I feel like now I can't make too many mistakes.”
Despite having world titles under his belt, Wightman insists winning the Olympics would be a “much bigger ask to win” for him and Kerr.
“When I was a kid, all I ever really dreamed of was winning an Olympic gold medal, so if me and Josh win gold at the World Championships, it's not the same,” he suggested.
Kerr is confident of being selected for the 1500m and will also run the 800m at the British Championships at the end of June – a distance which Wightman also meets the Olympic standard for.
But like fellow Scotsman Wightman, he resists the temptation to take up a dual residence in Paris.
“I'd love to do it,” he revealed, “I think the 800m is more fun and if I concentrate I'll be fine, but the 1500m is where I've always performed best.”
“My strengths lie in those events, and considering the situation in the 800m and 1500m, I can't be greedy and aim for second place, because then I won't be able to aim for first place either.”
