It seems entirely counterintuitive to describe becoming world champion as the worst thing that could have happened but in some respects, that’s exactly how Jake Wightman views his world title.
Of course, his achievement, when he became world 1500m champion in 2022, was one of his career, if not life, highlights. But the down side, although he acknowledges he’s in a particularly privileged position to be talking about the downsides of being world champion, is that from that moment, global titles become your standard, with all else feeling somewhat underwhelming.
What’s been so particularly cruel for Wightman is that he’s not been given a proper opportunity to back-up his world title.
His gold medal at the World Championships in Oregon, early in the summer of 2022, was GB’s first world title at the distance since Steve Cram 39 years previously, and was quickly followed by European silver and Commonwealth Games bronze. But from there, Wightman has been beset by injuries.
His world title defence in 2023 was thwarted by a foot stress fracture while his tilt at Olympic glory the following season was halted by a hamstring injury.
His string of physical issues has dictated that his competitive appearances have been severely restricted over the past two-and-a-half years and given that 2022 was not only such a personal highlight but a history-making season in British athletics terms, that's not always been easy to take.
“What’s been so hard over the last couple of years is that I didn't get any reward for the training I was putting in. I saw no returns,” he says.
“Athletes have to give up a lot but there's a reason for that and that's because you want to race, but I wasn’t getting that.
“2024 was such a cruel one for me. Missing the 2023 season was tough but 2024 was harder because I was running well and I thought I was on the right path towards having the summer I wanted at the Olympics. But then one rep in a session and it's gone. That's was gutting."
A single indoor appearance earlier this year - which saw him win the Scottish 3000m title - was an encouraging glimpse of both form and fitness and has given the 30-year-old considerable cause for optimism as he heads into this summer.
However, his lack of racing over the past two seasons has forced him to entirely transform his attitude in terms of expectations.
Wightman’s track record, particularly at major championships, meant he had reached a point in his career in which he was, entirely legitimately, setting himself ambitious targets which focused on winning major championship silverware.
And his 2022 world title pushed that bar up even further meaning he reached a point at which global titles were aim.
It’s a problem that precious few athletes ever have the privilege of facing but going into this summer, Wightman has had to force himself to temper his expectations quite considerably.
“I do feel different going into this season,” he says.
“Just getting myself on the start line is all I want to do at the moment.
“I don't do this sport just to train so if I can just stand on the start line, even if I'm not quite in the shape that I'm used to, it doesn't matter as much to me, for now anyway. I still definitely have that side of me that will be annoyed if I don't race as well as I want to though and, actually, if I lost that feeling I don't think I'd do this anymore because that's what drives you to keep getting better.
“Just wanting to be on the start line and not worrying about results is freeing, in a way, in terms of having no pressure but, on the other hand, one of the worst things that happened to me in some ways was winning that world title because then that becomes your standard.
“I realise it's a good problem that becoming world champion is my high point but what is really important is that kind of result doesn't become the only thing that brings me joy or happiness. I have to realise that just making a team again is an achievement, it can't be all about just going for the win.”
2025 has brought a significant change to Wightman’s set-up, with the Edinburgh AC athlete parting ways with his coach who was, incidentally, also his dad.
Wightman and his father, Geoff, had achieved astonishing success together but the time had come, believes Wightman, for a change, with the Scot subsequently relocating to Manchester.
It’s a change that was necessary, believes Wightman, for both father and son.
“I've left my dad because it got to a point where the attitude towards training just wasn't what it needed to be,” he says.
“When things are going well and your results are good, it's easy to think everything's perfect. It's when things are going badly that you start to really look if there's anything that needs changing.
“With my dad and I, it wasn't so much what him coaching me was doing to me, it was more what it was doing to him and that wasn't very nice. We were arguing a lot because he had his opinion and I had a different one and I got to the point where I started to realise how big a stress it was on him. It's pressure isn't it? There's a lot of pressure on him because it's him setting the sessions.
“I just hope for the best for both of us.”
Wightman will open his outdoor season next Saturday, at the Track Fest meet in LA, at which he’ll run the 1500m.
As yet, there’s been no altitude camp - that’ll come after next weekend’s race and ahead of the Bowerman Mile next month - and so Wightman is aware that he may not be quite as well prepared for next weekend’s outing as some of his rivals.
But that is, he knows, a small price to pay in his pursuit of an injury-free summer.
“I'm feeling good. It's a little bit going into the unknown just because I haven't raced for so long and in my first race, I'll probably be up against guys who have already done their camps.
“I feel like I've not really got anything left to protect anymore. If I don't race quite as well as I expect to it's okay because I don't feel like people are watching what I'm doing nearly as closely as before. For me, it's more about just racing and then getting back to where I should be as the season progresses.”
There’s certainly been no plans made for retirement but the past two years have forced Wightman to take the remainder of his career one year at a time, rather than in four-year Olympic cycles as so many athletes do.
Given his last fully-fit season yielded three major championship medals, though, it’s hardly surprising that Wightman believes there remains some unfinished business.
The men’s 1500m is one of the strongest in track and field in terms of strength-in-depth and Wightman is all too aware of the level that’s required to even compete with the world’s best, never mind beat them again.
But the Scot has never been one to be daunted by a challenge and his track record, coupled with his unparalleled racing nous, gives him plenty of reason to be optimistic.
For now, he’s resisting all talk of replicating his 2022 peak but he’s also quick to point out that he’s not, and never will be, someone who’s happy to merely make up the numbers.
“I know that I'm getting towards the end of my career, which is why I'm just taking it one year at a time. If this year doesn't go well and I get injury problems again, I think I'll find that very, very tough to come back from but if this year goes well I'll definitely do another year and then we'll have to see,” he says.
“I've always felt like I wouldn't want to be doing this if I can't be at the level I want to be at. “People have suggested to me, given what I've done in my career and the fact I'm coming towards the end of it, that I maybe don't need to commit as much and just go through the motions a little bit but absolutely no way could I do that, or would I want to do that.
“If I'm not fully committed to running, I don't want to be doing it at all. There's other things in life I'd want to do and so if I'm not putting everything into running, I just don't see the point of doing it.
“At the moment, my one target is to make the team for Worlds and then I’ll see what I can do when I get there.
“If I can get myself fit, I feel I can always get a bit more out of myself when I get onto the start line because racing is where my strengths lie.
“I want to show there's life in this old dog yet. I feel like there is.”
