Great Britain secured their first medal of the World Athletics Championships as former world champion Jake Wightman finished second in the 1500m.
Wightman led into the final lap, but it came down to a photo finish between the Briton and Portugal’s Isaac Nader.
Wightman threw himself over the finish line but was beaten by an agonising margin, with just two hundredths of a second the difference to Nader. The Portuguese completed the race in 3min 34.1s and the bronze medal fell to Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot.
Great Britain’s Josh Kerr, the reigning champion, pulled up with an apparent injury on the second lap, hobbling over the finish line over 30 seconds behind the rest of the pack.
Having struggled with persistent injury setbacks over the past two years, Wightman’s involvement at these Championships at all was in the balance. Speaking to BBC Sport post-race, he said to be there at all was as good as gold.
“Through the rounds, I knew I had another gear,” he said. “This silver is a gold for me and I am so relieved.
“I knew I would hit the front at some point. I nearly got there, but just getting on the start line in the final is a gold.
“All I knew today was I was going to run to win, and whether that got me the win, second, third, or however high up, I would just be happy. I left everything out there.”
He continued, reflecting on his recovery process: "I have made some big changes in my life this year. Getting a new coach and moving to Manchester (from London). I hoped they were for the best and now that the big stage is here, I stepped up.
"I believe that you get what you pay for in the end. I am so happy that all the persistence has been worth it.”
Neil Gourley, the third British contender in the race, crossed the line tenth, 1.46s back from the lead.
The Glaswegian said he did not have enough energy left to push on towards the end of the race: "That was a really tough field to be in. I had bigger goals in it.
"I wasn't in a terrible spot with 300 metres to go. Normally I can change gears, but today I felt tired. I just did not have it.”
Wightman’s second-place finish lifts Great Britain off the floor of the medal table, leaving them 17th.
