Stateside stint leaves runner in fine shape

US excursion has Wightman feeling ready for any return

Jake Wightman admits being stranded Stateside for almost three months has left him in the shape of his life – for a season that’s now almost completely wiped out.

The European and Commonwealth medallist almost saw his panicked decision to jet to the USA in March backfire when one flight home after another was erased from the schedule.

The lengthy sunshine stint had its perks, acknowledges the 25-year-old, who now plans to target the 800 metres title at September’s Muller British Championships as a consolation for the Olympics being pushed back to 2021.

But the Scot, who came fifth in the 1,500m at last year’s world championships in Doha, feared President

Trump’s coronavirus shutdown would leave him in exile indefinitely.

“Everyone who was out in the USA, Brit-wise, had flights cancelled,” he said. “There was only one or two a day and they were all flying through Dallas. When we got on one, it was a pretty empty flight. Everyone was spread out.

“When we arrived, Heathrow was a ghost town and you realised how few people were flying. But at least we were able to get back. We were worried they’d stop flights completely and we stayed out for 10 weeks in the end.

“But I still felt it was better than home because the lockdown in the States was nowhere near as harsh. For the first few weeks, gyms were still open. I got physio treatment. Shops and restaurants were open. I’m sort of glad we did it.”

With only eight Diamond League meetings likely to go ahead, Wightman’s future itinerary remains up in the air despite elite athletes getting the green light to travel overseas and then come home without having to quarantine.

Training remains a headache, he admits, with gyms still shut and makeshift alternatives now required.

“I bought lots of stuff on Gumtree,” he said. “We live in a converted attic where there is no space for my gym stuff. But my parents have an outbuilding which I’ve turned into a gym. So twice a week I’m travelling an hour there to use it. I’m sick of being in the car but I’m a lot better off than some people who don’t have access to that stuff.”

After coming so close to landing his first global medal in 2019, Wightman’s eyeing up a spot on the podium if the Tokyo Olympics go ahead. But losing out on a trip to Japan this summer didn’t feel like the hammer blow he anticipated when the decision came to postpone.

He said: “We were all at the point where we hadn’t done that much work for the summer to be ready.

“The worse one was cancelling the European Championships because that came a month later. It seemed like they would definitely try and have it. That left us with no real races to aim for.

“I’ve nothing lined up yet and I’ve presuming it will be mid-August before I’m racing again and that’s what’s keeping me motivated. It’s so hard turning up to the track if you think you’re training for nothing. So I’m hoping August and September will be busy, race-wise.”