Amel Tuka running 1:44.91 is the most interesting result here IMO. I mean, I don’t think he’s gonna be a contender, but when I saw his name/time I had to check to see this was a 2025 result. Tuka is 34, ran 1:42.5 in 2015, medaled at the WCs in 2015 and 2019, and hadn’t broken 1:45 in four years.
If Tuka were East African he’d only be 29. Maybe 28.
Does anyone have a video of it? On his IG he says he went out too fast, and had to hold on
From the video he was 50.3 / 54.4 --> 1:44.7
3.1 seconds is not at all a wild 800m split, although a bit more than ideal for most 1500m types.
At the bell he was fully 5 meters behind the pacer, with the next runner another ~5m back. So indeed he seemed to sense the pace was a bit hot for him.
Does anyone have a video of it? On his IG he says he went out too fast, and had to hold on
From the video he was 50.3 / 54.4 --> 1:44.7
3.1 seconds is not at all a wild 800m split, although a bit more than ideal for most 1500m types.
At the bell he was fully 5 meters behind the pacer, with the next runner another ~5m back. So indeed he seemed to sense the pace was a bit hot for him.
The Sunday Plod guys made a good point about the death of the second tier of British 1500 runners. The 4 guys at the top are solid, and you could possibly add Giles, but beneath them, the depth has vanished in the last two years. Jake Heyward, Matt Stonier, Piers Copeland, all just fallen into insignificance right as they seemed to be making their way up. The post-Kerr and Wightman era is not looking good right now.
Dare we say that British miling is soft right now? I’m joking, but yes the depth has gone by the wayside. I’m assuming they’ll rebuild with some NCAA guys (Couttie has shown promise)
Joking or not, that's a fair assessment. British men's distance running seems to have been left behind in the current era of hard racing. I'm pretty pessimistic about the next few years on the men's side. There's no obvious talent coming through and I don't think the sport is in a place now where athletes can be solid between the ages of 20 and 26 and still remain sponsored. Will a 3:35 guy like Henry McLuckie or a 13:19 guy like Will Barnicoat be given another 4-5 years to see if they can make the leap to world class status? I can't see it when even Americans of their age are running sub-3:30 and sub-13:00.
The women are in a better place, especially at 5k. There's real talent in Megan Keith, Innes Fitzgerald, and Jess Bailey and they're all very young. All three could be sub-14:30 by the time they're 25.
Back on Wightman: he looks to be a really good place right now. 3:47 and 1:44 in the space of 10 days suggests he's back to at least where he was on 2022. Hopefully, that means he's competitive in Tokyo. If he's in range with 200 to go, you wouldn't rule out a medal with his wheels