O’hare boosted by Boston win

● Edinburgh runner tunes up for world title bid by claiming new Scottish record

Another day, another victory, another Scottish record. Chris O’hare was rightly delighted with his performance in Boston on Saturday when he became the fifth-fastest Briton of all-time by winning the 1,500 metres at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston in 3:37.03, a good chunk of a second quicker than his previous Caledonian best.

It helped that, for the second successive weekend, he was pursued to the bitter end by a familiar face from Edinburgh Athletics Club. In New York, it had been Josh Kerr.

Seven days later, Jake Wightman subbed into the position of challenger and although the 23-year-old ended four-tenths of a second adrift, both now have the qualifying marks for March’s world indoor championships ahead of next weekend’s UK trials in Birmingham.

Ultimately, this felt like a tune-up for O’hare’s planned push for a first global medal. “To have the Scottish record is something pretty special,” the two-time European bronze medalist said. “Now we’ve covered the strength side and the speed side. Hopefully I can cope with whatever these guys throw at me next weekend.”

Wightman, fresh from an altitude camp in South Africa, has embraced a first proper indoor season but, like O’hare, he has the additional target of the Commonwealth Games. On the Gold Coast, he revealed, he will hunt a double in both the 800 and 1,500m. “The 800 is first so that will at least give

0 Chris O’hare is in good form ahead of this weekend’s UK trials. me a couple of warm-up races before the 1,500,” he confirmed. “But I don’t know how it would work out if I got a medal in the 800. It might be tough to keep the motivation up.”

Fellow Scot Steph Twell moved into sixth in the UK all-time list in coming third in Boston in 8:41.94 behind Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson while Lynsey Sharp was fourth in the 800m.

Elsewhere, Nikki Manson set a Scottish indoor high jump record of 1.90m at the Scottish Student Championships in Glasgow while Laura Muir took the 1500m title in a native best of 4:05.37.

Meanwhile high jumper Emma Nuttall and pole vaulter Jax Thoirs have pulled out of Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team due to injury.