Jake Wightman OUT for British Champs

Could be good news for those wanting Mills to not get selected in the 1500.

GB will take top 2 if it's Gourley and Giles. Then surely BA pick Wightman over Mills given how poor Mills is in tactical, championship style 1500's, and given Wightman is a previous World Champ.

If Wightman ran and got top 2 meaning Giles or Gourley got 3rd, I think BA would pick Mills over one of those 2.

Obviously Kerr is automatically selected being current World Champ.

Don't get why Mills wants to double so bad, must be an ego thing.

So the British team will be:
Kerr (Bye)
Gourley (assuming he'll get top 2 with almost nobody good left in the field)
Giles/Fogg (presuming they're top 2)

After that, they can select Mills (already on 5,000 squad) whose foray doubling in the Olympics was a disaster and is sidelined with a broken wrist. Or they take Wightman, who hasn't been able to make it to the Championships and is sidelined again.

Or I guess they just go with Giles or Fogg, who I don't think they realistically can see making a final.

You don't get why the 3rd fastest 1500m runner and 6th fastest 5000m runner of the season wants to double?

Does fogg have the qualifications?

Mills is incapable of moving forward the last 200m of a competitive 1500. Every time there's a competitive race where he's not going to be at the front, he takes people out. He was going backwards at London DL. He's a great time-trialer, world-class in fact, but he just doesn't have the kick to mix it with the top 1500 guys. He should just focus on the 5k where he has a great chance of being up there, if he does the 1500 I think it's likely he doesn't make the final.

Man, I keep rooting for Wightman, but he seems to have horrible luck.

I have to imagine that he'll never make another global final, cause he'll be 33 in 2027. I guess he could try moving up to the 5k, but he's always been more of a speed guy. Crazy to think that a world champion would never make another final after that win.

I think he had some statement that 2025 would be his last year if things don't shake out. I guess we'll see how he feels now.

I wonder if he caught the same virus that is hitting athletes hard at the World Aquatics Championships... Team USA and Team GB got hit pretty bad.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMfo301xKAq/

Mills has no 1500 medal shot

Little obsessed and a hater aren’t ya lad?

Lemme guess you took top 15 in a jv race once.

33 ain’t that old. Wightman is still running really well. Wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps it going *IF* he can stay healthy.

Adam Fogg broke 3:50 indoors, which is the standard I believe. Thomas Keen is comfortably in the World Rankings quota. Also incidentally coached by Jake's dad, and a former training partner (obviously). Feels like if he somehow got top 2 he should get a crack.

Root for the Fogg Dogg!

There's no way the selectors don't give Wightman the discretionary spot. If you think Mills really has a chance of getting that spot, then you don't know British Athletics. Mills is already on the 5000 team (such is the state of British distance running, he IS the team), and that will also play into their thinking.

Is it so obvious that they’d pass on each of these guys if they finish 3rd: Gourley, Giles, Fogg, Keen based on a 3:47.8 mile and the 2022 season I suppose? Maybe it is, I don’t know.

Selection spots are dumb. What if he’s injured or out of shape right now and this is a tactic to get selected? Seems punishing to those who actually show up to race

Yup, I had the same thought. He may have employed the same strategy for last year to get selected for Paris 2024. Figures he rather gamble at getting selected by committee than gamble with actually racing. I bet you if GB used the US system (first three across the line) he'd be on the starting line this weekend.

lameeeeeeee excuse, the guys literally done nothing since 2022. i wouldnt be giving him any favours, he had one great race but that doesnt mean youre still upto the job 3 years later.

other guys have moved forwards, hes gone backwards. Kerr, Gourley, Giles, Mills, thats a decent team right there. Fogg is an utter turd, basic time trialler who you wouldnt fancy to win a school sports days and after an abysmal 1:49 800m the other day, he will struggle to make the top 8 in what will be a burn up.

Keen and the rest of the field are bang average and not good enough to feature. the only one who could make a charge is Charig or possibly Wigfield but the rest are out of there depth

Really unfortunate that Wightman got sick. Really sad he’s been injured the past 3 global championships. I hope he gets picked after the top 2.