The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
GB fall short of Doha target
Medal tally lowest since 2005 after women denied relay bronze following Jamaican appeal
Great Britain recorded their lowest medal total at the World Championships since 2005 after late relay drama last night.
The squad finished with five medals in Doha, including Dina Asher-Smith’s historic hat-trick haul, short of the sevento-nine target.
It looked like being six when Aberdonian Zoey Clark, Emily Diamond, Jodie Williams and Laviai Nielsen were promoted to third in the women’s 4x400 metres relay on the final evening after Jamaica were disqualified for apparently lining up for a changeover wrongly.
However, the Jamaican quartet appealed against the decision and won – and although Great Britain then followed with an appeal against Jamaica’s reinstatement, they failed and subsequently missed out on a bronze medal.
Asher-Smith won 200m gold, 100m silver and 4x100m relay silver while Katarina Johnson-Thompson took the heptathlon title and the men’s 4x100m squad claimed silver at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Despite Asher-Smith and JohnsonThompson’s landmark victories, performance director Neil Black admitted improvement is needed after the lowest total since Helsinki 14 years ago.
He said: “There’s a lot to feel really, really good about. There’s a lot to feel really, really positive about. But the reality is the medal tally is not that which we would have wanted and expected.”
Black continued: “It could be better, it should be better. We’ll obviously be talking with UK Sport. Our relationship with UK Sport is really positive. It’s a working together, it’s reviewing, planning, what have we learnt, what are we going to do about it, how do we convert the nearlies into medals?”
The 4x400m men of Cameron Chalmers, Toby Harries, Rabah Yousif and Lee Thompson did not finish the final race of the Championships.
Harries failed to hand over the baton to Yousif in the second change with Harries ended up on the floor still holding it.
Jake Wightman was the leading Scot in yesterday’s 1,500m final as he finished fifth. Compatriots Josh Kerr finished sixth and Neil Gourley 11th, with Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot taking the title in three minutes 29.26 seconds.
“It was tough, I honestly knew that was going to happen but not that quick,” said Wightman.
“I thought it would be won in about 3:32 or 33. We were prepared for it.
“But I think that track is quick. probably glorifies the times a little bit.
“You knew Timothy was going to do that when he’s been running so quickly all year. None of us can live with him in any other race and it shouldn’t be It any different here,” added Wightman.
In the long jump final, which was won by Germany’s Malaika Mihambo with a leap of 7.30m, Abigail Irozuru came seventh (6.64m) with Shara Proctor 11th on 6.43m.
Cindi Ofili bowed out of the 100m hurdles in the semi-final after coming sixth in 12.95 seconds.
Dundee Hawkhill Harrier Eilish McColgan finished 10th in the 5,000m on Saturday, coming home in a time of 14:46,17 – a personal best as well as a new Scottish record and fourth on the UK alltime list. GB colleague Laura Weightman was seventh in 14:44, 57.