Jake Wightman was so inspired watching Eilish McColgan win Commonwealth Games gold it left him close to tears.
The new poster boy of British athletics powered into Saturday’s 1500 metres final crediting McColgan’s epic 10,000m triumph for firing him up.
“So inspiring,” he said. “I watched the video this morning, I don't know if I should have, but watching Eilish get a medal with Flower of Scotland made me feel like I was going to cry. People don’t realise how hard that must have been to run how she did as she’s had a few rough weeks.”
Wightman fulfilled his lifelong ambition with stadium announcer dad Geoff introducing him as world champion to another bumper crowd.
But a fortnight on from his stunning 1500 metres in Eugene, another Scottish family were the talk of the Games.
Mum Liz, who twice won the same title during her career, was among 30,000 roaring daughter Eilish home in scenes reminiscent of London 2012.
Paula Radcliffe, now the only British woman to have run a faster 10,000 than McColgan, said: “It felt just like Super Saturday.”
That was the night Jess Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford won Olympic titles within a golden hour at the London 2012 Olympics.
“With Kat (Johnson-Thompson) winning first, then Eilish, it felt like Jess and Mo all over again,” Radcliffe added.
“With every lap Eilish ran the noise cranked up a notch and by the end, as she said, you really couldn’t hear yourself think.
“It was absolutely incredible, it gave me goose bumps and took me back to my 5000m final at the 2002 Games in Manchester.
“For me, like Eilish and her mum before her, the Commonwealths was my first big title. From that you can build and I have no doubt she will.
“She has he’d her ups and downs so to deliver as she did, and in front of all her family, what a fighter!”
It was no coincidence that the morning after McColgan’s heroics, all three 1500m Scots won through to their final.
“If you’re not inspired by what Eilish did I don’t what will do it for you,” said Neil Gourley. “She set the tone and we’ve got to try and follow that.”
Wightman is determined to, and says hearing his dad announce him has only increased his self-belief.
“It was special,” he said. “A real confidence boost.”
