JAKE WIGHTMAN: WHO, WHY AND WHATS AT ALTITUDE

Two major international medals have made 2018 one to remember for Jake Wightman, and though the modest assessment of ‘pretty good’ suggests that the next race is already in mind, a bronze medal at the European Championships to back up Commonwealth bronze earlier in the year will surely now have the 24-year-old watched a little closer when it comes to future outings against international opposition.

Set up to attack for the podium in Berlin on the back of an altitude camp away in St Moritz, we dug into finding out some of the whys, whos and whats when it comes to being camped out in the mountains overseas.

So, first up, who is the hardest and/or most meticulous trainer at an altitude camp?

“Ooh, that’s a tough one….honestly the last time I was at altitudethe times I’ve seen Laura [Muir] train….she’s always flogging herself on the track, so I’d have to say her. Meticulous-wise I think I’d Eilish [McColgan] is pretty strategic when she trains; she always knows when she wants to go and what she wants to do – so the two girls are definitely up there on those fronts.”

Who is the messiest person when away at an altitude camp?

“Honestly, it’s probably me! I could tell you that the tidiest is who I’ve recently shared with – Marc Scott – he definitely made me feel even messier… I need to grow up a bit I think. I’ve got better over the years but when I first started going on camps I’d chuck my stuff everywhere; now I try and keep a bit of order to things but I still need to grow up a bit on that front…”

And the biggest eater…?

“I didn’t live with him this time around but I’ve lived with him in a house before and Andy Vernon puts away some scran– he absolutely smashes it off!  I’d have to say him. He’s a big guy so you’d expect it though!”

Who is the funniest athlete to be around while away?

[Answering without a second thought] “Zak Seddon for sure…I think everyone that meets him warms to him and he doesn’t really take too much too seriously, so he’s so good to be around. I wet myself when I’m with him.”

Who is an endurance athlete you would say athletics fans need to keep an eye on moving forwards….

“I think he’s coming on the radar at the moment, but I’d say Neil Gourley – I’ve raced against him since I was in school and we’ve battled for Scottish Schools titles and the like.

“He’s been away to the States and developed so well; this year people saw it as a bit of a shock that he ran as well as he did, but he’s been coming through like that on a nice upward trajectory for a whole now so he’ll definitely be challenging with the rest of the guys for spots on teams in future years.”

Fresh from picking up bronze medals at both the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships in 2018, middle-distance specialist Jake Wightman races over 800m at the Muller Grand Prix Birmingham tomorrow at the Alexander Stadium.