Wightman and Muir the pacesetters in Ostrava
JAKE Wightman and Laura Muir are making the absolute most of a summer without an Olympics to hone their craft and prepare their assault for next year’s Tokyo Games, and further beyond. And at last night’s Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, the Scottish duo illustrated just why they sit comfortably among the middle- distance elite with sublime power and pace at their disposal.
Muir racked up her fourth victory in succession by crushing the competition in the women’s 800 metres, clocking 1: 58.84 – the second quickest time in the world this year.
The 27- year- old simply left her rivals with little to do except chase her shadows with her ferocious and relentless dash for the finish, taking over from the pacemaker on the final lap and then accelerating further and further clear.
Only her training mate Jemma Reekie has gone faster in 2020. This was Muir’s best- ever winning time over two laps with Poland’s Sofia Ennaoui almost two seconds adrift and Northern Irishwoman Ciara Mageean fifth.
Two thumbs up came to the camera. It summed it up. “I am a bit surprised for my achievement and how fast I was,” she declared. “I thought I was really going to race for the position a bit more and see what I can do.
” The time is very good and I am happy about it but it could
have been even a bit faster if I had someone with me in the last 50m. I have two more races this season and I will be done. Of course, I would love to win again.”
It was barely ten minutes until another Scottish triumph arrived with Wightman seemingly inspired. Barely four days after coming off second best to Dan Rowden at the UK Championships in Manchester, the 26- year- old engaged a vastly higher gear.
Bolting down the middle of the home straight to catch everyone else unawares, he smashed his lifetime best to win in 1: 44: 18, moving inside the top ten in the all- time British rankings.
“I feel good, I like to fight,” said the 26- year- old, who recorded the fastest time by a Brit in eight years, with Elliot Giles sixth and fellow Scot Guy Learmonth eighth in 1: 46.00.
“I was going to run 800m and approach it like I was going 1500 and just try to do it in the home straight. It happened, so I am pleased. Because there is no major championships this season, it was important to stay quick. That was also the reason to run 800m. I am very pleased about beating my PB by almost half a second. But to get the win was even more important to me.”
Reekie couldn’t quite make it a Caledonian treble with the 22- year- old’s winning streak ending in the women’s 1500m.
Instead, Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Faith Kipyegon surged out of reach with Reekie demoted into second place by newly- crowned British champion Laura Weightman.