COE TELLS WIGHTMAN TO BACK HIMSELF
SEBASTIAN COE’S advice to aspiring double medalist Jake Wightman ahead of today’s 800metres final is simple and heartfelt. With a nice selfdeprecating twist in the tail. ‘He has to back his own instincts,’ said Coe, the greatest middle distance runner Britain has ever known. ‘But what do I know? I mean, I stuffed up a few 800s in my time!’ Coe has a point, even if his definition of stuffing up bears little relation to the average athlete’s expectations. Backto-back silver medals in the 800m at the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics only look disappointing when set next to the golds he won in the 1,500m in 1980 and 1984. Wightman is a throwback to those days. A 1,500m runner who sees the 800m as more than just a training exercise. The IAAF president revealed that he had actually provided Jake — through his dad and coach, Geoff — with advice on whether to tackle the double here. Wightman was always going to have a go, though. Even before they dropped a round from the 800m, reducing his workload to a more manageable four races in five days. But Coe said: ‘I was chatting with Geoff, who’s an old friend of mine, in Valencia. ‘We were talking about the challenge of five races in five days. It is tough. He hasn’t doubled up that often before. ‘The only observation I made was, as I found in LA when I doubled up, and on other occasions, getting some good 800m under your belt actually left you in good shape. ‘Jake’s a well conditioned athlete, so I said five in five isn’t a walk in the park. ‘But, actually, given his background as an athlete, that could be advantageous to him.’