Hoare promised to buy the legendary Elliott, now 84, a drink. It will certainly be quite a celebration. However, Wightman had no regrets after his bold bid to win three major titles in one summer – worlds, Commonwealths and Europeans – fell short. Two weeks ago in Eugene, the 28-year-old Scotsman had stunned everyone by kicking for glory with 200m remaining and then holding a prestigious world title. This time, though, when he repeated the trick, his pursuers were ready – and his legs were a little heavier. And while he still led with 50 meters to go, he was passed first by Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot and then by Hoare, who rose just before the line to win in a Commonwealth Games record 3:30.12. Cheruiyot took silver in 3:30.21 with Wightman 0.32 back in third. “It was as good as I could make it,” Whiteman said. “I didn’t want to be a pedestrian and run for small medals. I wanted to make a statement, but I wasn’t feeling as good as I was a few weeks ago. “I knew when I went I would have a difficult home, but I hoped everyone else would feel the same,” she added. “At first I was quite disappointed but, if I told myself that I would come back two weeks after winning the world championship and in a similar field to get a bronze, I would have been very happy. It’s mentally so hard to come back from that.” Scotland’s Jake Wightman after finishing third. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Observer The bookies may have made Wightman the odds-on favourite. But he, like the rest of us, knew this was a 1500m final full of class and doubt. Three of the top four finishers at last year’s Olympics were in the field, along with Hoare who had several notable performances this season before reaching the semi-finals of the worlds. This was to prove the sweetest redemption. There was no going around as Kenyan Abel Kipsang took the field on the first lap in a quick 54 seconds, with Cheruiyot in close pursuit. But Wightman looked well placed before making his move to the back straight. “It was a bit instinctive,” he said. “I wanted to get to the turn in the lead again. I knew I wasn’t that fresh. I stayed home straight away, as opposed to feeling strong. I felt quite vulnerable.” Hoare, meanwhile, was enjoying a stunning victory. When asked about his thoughts, he simply replied, “Holy shit.” Ollie Hoare celebrates after his win. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Observer “The match was over quickly at once,” he said as soon as he had regained his composure. “But I’ve trained for a fast race and ran 3:47 in Oslo for a mile, so I knew I had the strength there. It was just taking the kick at the right time.” “I came through with a lap to go and I saw Jake next to me and I started to panic because he’s the world champion. And you can hear the Scottish roar on the pitch. But I tried to keep my cool. And then, with 100 meters to go, when I got into lane three, it was just about keeping my form and running like bloody hell.” Subscribe to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. But it was only in the last five meters that he finally got up as Cheruiyot stumbled. “I could tell I had him because he couldn’t gauge where anyone else was,” Hoare said. “So he was in a very precarious position, even if you’re of his caliber. And I saw that it was starting to lock up and I knew I had more juice in the tank. I thought: not today. I will go today. And I was able to get through at the end.” Elsewhere on the final morning of athletics there was hammer gold for England in the form of Nick Miller, whose modest throw of 76.43m was good enough against a weak field.
