FRIENDLY competition is inspiring Team GB’s male 1500m runners to new heights according to Jake Wightman, after all three Brits made it into the Olympic final. 

Linlithgow’s Wightman, Edinburgh’s Josh Kerr and Welshman Jake Heyward all battled through two keenly-contested semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Thursday evening. 

Wightman spectacularly won the first semi-final as he moved to the front halfway through the final lap and pulled away from the pack to cross the line in a season’s best 3:33.48 ahead of USA’s Cole Hocker and, even more impressively, 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya.  

“All you have to do is come top five – that was the aim – I never planned on winning it,” said Wightman, who is able to train full time and benefit from world class facilities, technology, coaching and support teams thanks to National Lottery funding – which has never been more important in getting him to the start line after a turbulent year. 

“But the opportunity came to kind of pass and my fear was everyone was going to close so quick that I’d rather have a jump into the home straight.   

“I feel a lot better, felt a lot of better than I thought I would. It has given me a lot of confidence for the final. 

“The three of us [Wightman, Kerr and Heyward] are good mates which is a nice thing - just because you are rivals on the track doesn’t mean you have to dislike each other off it.  

“I want them to make the final and do well, but I just also want to beat them when it gets to the final.  

“There is friendly competition between everybody and I think domestic competition pushes you internationally, and that’s showing with three of us in the final.” 

The second semi-final was run at a blistering pace as winner Abel Kipsang of Kenya broke the Olympic record with a time of 3:31.65 but Kerr stuck to his task impressively and crossed the line third in 3:32.18 to safely reach Saturday’s final.  

“I had to really have a look at myself and recalibrate [after only just squeezing through the heats],” said Kerr. “I turned it around and I just love racing here. 

“It’s one of the hardest 1500m teams to make for the Olympics, that shows we can all come out and make an Olympic final. 

“When you have those sort of people you have to battle with every year just to make teams, and we’ve left people at home who could probably make an Olympic final, it’s really tough and we have to come out and perform.” 

Wightman and Kerr weren’t the only Scots to qualify for a Saturday final as Pitreavie’s Nicole Yeargin and Aberdeen’s Zoey Clark helped the women’s 4x400m relay team come through their heat. 

Needing a top-three finish to qualify automatically, Clark ran the second leg strongly and Yeargin – who was disqualified in the individual 400m – pushed past Netherlands and Canada down the home straight to finish third in 3:23.99.  

“I had a fire in me from being DQ’d (in the individual 400m) and now I’m going to give it all for this 4x400,” said Yeargin. 

And Clark added: “It’s really exciting. I’ve been really looking forward to this all week, to get back running with the girls.  

“It was a competitive race, we knew it was going to be, and I think that pushed all of us on.” 

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