An Underdog, an Announcer, and a Joyful Surprise at the World Championships
When Jake Wightman stunned the track world to win the men’s 1500 meter final, someone special was calling the race.
When the runners crossed the finish line of the men’s 1500 meter final, the champion, Jake Wightman of England, held his arms out in disbelief. The PA announcer at the 2022 World Athletic Champions roared to the crowd, “Jake Wightman has just run the race of his life! My voice is gone!”
The crowd cheered for the underdog on Wednesday, and the announcer sat silent for the next 30 seconds. Before the race, Wightman’s best ever finish had been a bronze at the European championship. At last summer’s Olympics, he finished 10th behind many of the men he faced again in this race, most notably the Norwegian runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen whom he overtook in the final 200 meters.
Then, the announcer spoke again. This time, his face appeared on the big screen at Hayward Field to accompany his booming voice.
“I’ve got to tell you why the camera is on me,” he explained. “That’s my son. I coach him. And he’s the world champion.”
In his own day, Geoff Wightman was a marathoner, once placing eighth at the Commonwealth Games. When his son started to show interest in track, he helped coach him, along with his wife. He made sure that Jake tried every sport; that way Jake wouldn’t run himself into the ground. To be a championship athlete, Geoff believes, you have to be a complete athlete.
When Geoff’s not coaching, he’s traveling the world announcing track meets. As an English publication put it, “Geoff is now truly the voice of the sport.” He had called races involving Jake in the past—but never had he experienced anything like this.
“I must have called Jake…10 or 12 times in international championships, so I am familiar with it,” Geoff said. “It’s just that he’s never done better than bronze. It’s difficult. If I get carried away, I’ll get thrown off the event. If I act really robotic, it’s like, ‘Do you not care? Are you not excited about your son? What’s wrong with you?’”
How could he act robotic given the way that Jake won the race, a stunning comeback against Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic champion. “When you’re in an event like that, and there’s a figure and an athlete who’s so dominant and such a heavy favorite…I never, ever expected to be world champion,” Jake said after the race. In the final stretch, Jake saw an opportunity. He muscled his way outside and picked up the pace, gaining with each stride. “I just thought, like, screw this, I’m going to give it a go,” he said. “And if I had ended up finishing fourth or whatever, at least I gave it a go to try to win it.”
After the race, father and son embraced in a huge hug. Soon, the press cornered not only Jake but also Geoff Wightman to break down each of their performances that day.
Said Jake of his race: “It’s not sunk in yet.”
Said Geoff of his call, “It was alright. It was OK.”
We beg to differ.
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