Jake Wightman

And he made a big move to try to get into the top two. British team is really strong with Kerr also running great at this time.

Amazing result for him. I was shouting for him towards the end, made a slick move on the last curve.

I can't believe Cheruiyot held on after that start, ridiculous.

Very impressive for Wightman, who even was looking to contend for the win around the turn. My theory is that the Ingebrigtsens have had the psychological effect of convincing other Europeans that they were not of their own nature physically inferior. This inferiority complex set in, I believe, beginning with the 1988 Olympics, when the Brits underperformed and Kenyans dominated. It deepened during the EPO years and meant that they ceded the sport to East Africans. Now, finally, the same Brits who had not been contending have the belief that they can compete, thanks to the Ingebrigtsens, especially Jacob, who think that they can run with anyone. Indeed, any nationality could compete in distance running. The question is only whether they devote the effort to it and have the belief that they can win.

And thanks to Coevett.

Great run. European competition is getting good.

Will also, or at least should, finally put to bed the 'how weird the Brits produced their three greatest milers in the same decade - obviously dopjng' nonsense argument.

People who make that argument are effectively saying now that the Brits must have been dirty because they went backwards during the EPO era. By the same logic Moroccans must be the cleanest on Earth.

GB was the country that suffered the most from the dreadful EPO era. It took us 20 years to recover the will to compete, but the Brits are back. Thanks Gjert!

Coevett wrote:

Will also, or at least should, finally put to bed the 'how weird the Brits produced their three greatest milers in the same decade - obviously dopjng' nonsense argument.

People who make that argument are effectively saying now that the Brits must have been dirty because they went backwards during the EPO era. By the same logic Moroccans must be the cleanest on Earth.

GB was the country that suffered the most from the dreadful EPO era. It took us 20 years to recover the will to compete, but the Brits are back. Thanks Gjert!

Why should a single fast performance by an athlete who hasn't done anything on the world stage change the narrative at all? Britain's three greatest milers are still Ovett, Coe, and Cram. Wightman's performance today (which was phenomenal btw) is immaterial, and certainly doesn't signify some type of resurgence of British middle distance running. Let's wait for the medals to start rolling in before celebrating.

- You seem to have misconstrued his comment. He’s not saying that Wightman is as “great” as the 80s triumvirate, but that a British-born man now running faster than any of them is evidence that they didn’t need to be using drugs to run fast.

- The recent performances of Wightman, Kerr, Grice, Gourley, Burgin, Muir and Reekie do signify a resurgence of British middle distance running. Will they ever be as strong relative to the world as they were in the 80s? Probably not.

-I consider placing 5th in the world championship final as doing something on the world stage, but maybe for you it’s medal or bust.

Oh my God, I’m arguing on Coevett’s behalf...

Well the bigger problem with Coevett’s argument is that it potentially makes no sense. OK so if the 1980s Brit milers were doping it certainly does not mean that Wightman is clean. Furthermore I am convinced that prime Coe could run 3:27 in current Monaco, with Cram maybe too and Ovett also possibly close. Wightman is not on the level that those three were.

Hiyero wrote:

Well the bigger problem with Coevett’s argument is that it potentially makes no sense. OK so if the 1980s Brit milers were doping it certainly does not mean that Wightman is clean. Furthermore I am convinced that prime Coe could run 3:27 in current Monaco, with Cram maybe too and Ovett also possibly close. Wightman is not on the level that those three were.

Yes it does pull the rug from underneath those who constantly drone on about the unlikelihood of GB producing their 3 greatest milers in one decade.

No, Jake Wightman isn't perhaps quite on the level of those three yet, although he's clearly the greatest British middle-distance runner since Peter Elliott, and if you put yesterday's Jake Wightman into the 1988 Olympic final then I'm confident he would win.

But clearly British middle-distance running is on a resurgence. And equally, the Brits of the golden era didn't have the likes of Big Mac or rampant Kenyan doping to contend with (only Aouita, who studiously avoided them).

We went nearly 30 years without an outdoor global medal, and Kyle Langford would have won bronze in 2017 if not for cheating Bett. Jake Wightman has been consistently competitive on the world stage for several years now, despite injury problems early last year. Charlie Grice ran 3:30 last year, Josh Kerr would probably have ran under 3:30 yesterday too if he had been in the race. We have Max Burgin demolishing age records and continuing his steady progression, and a stack of other talented middle-distance juniors including Ethan Hussey who has been breaking GB age records from 800m to 5000m.

Britain had a fallow period in the 60's. Prior to then it had produced as many gold medals in middle-distance as any other country, despite athletics being a participation sport open only really to about 0.1% of the young male population (university students). It had a fallow period in the EPO era where participation levels unsurprisingly fell off a cliff, not helped by the advent of the Premier League and huge wealth in other professional sports.

The only time (between 75 and 90) when middle-distance running was one of the top participation sports in the UK, and we dominated.

Now there's been a boom since London 2012 in British kids wanting to be the new Seb Coe or the new Mo Farah. And guess what? We have the most talented 800m runner in the world, and two of the best five 1500m runners (maybe 3 if Charlie Grice can get back into his best shape).

You can't say Coe, Ovett, and Cram were the best British milers ever simply because they ran the fastest times, and then say Jake Wightman is not on their level even though he just ran faster in a crazy lockdown season where he couldn't even train properly at one point.

Coevett wrote:

And guess what? We have the most talented 800m runner in the world

Let’s wait till he matches either Amos’ or Brazier’s teenage-PBs.

Coevett wrote:

and two of the best five 1500m runners (maybe 3 if Charlie Grice can get back into his best shape).

I wouldn’t anoint Josh Kerr to such a short list just yet, let alone Grice. Filip ran 3:30.35 for 4th yesterday, has a 3:30.01 PB and a WC bronze. Lewandowski, despite only finishing 7th yesterday, has faster PBs and SBs than Kerr and beat him (winning WC bronze) the last time they met.

G.B. definitely has 2 worthy of top-10 rankings, maybe top-6.

Sort of unrelated: I usually don’t like to accuse athletes of foul play, but Jesus Gomez (6th yesterday in 3:33.07) taking 3.33” off his PB at age 29 seems a bit sketchy.

the EPO era is still in full swing,and hasnt ever gone away.Microdosing is a myth.Athletes are still taking the same cocktails of drugs,often EPO,nandralone,stanazolol,and testosterone.All gjert did was show other europeans,that they could take the same drug cocktails as the kenyans,and get away with it.Britain has caught up.

jeff tallon wrote:

All gjert did was show other europeans,that they could take the same drug cocktails as the kenyans

Dave Chappelle watch this space.