Jake Wightman has revealed he is moving to Manchester to improve his chances of reaching the 2028 Olympics.
The former 1500m world champion is relocating to be closer to his physiotherapist after two years of injury struggles.
A hamstring injury ruled the 30-year-old out of the recent Paris Games, denying him the opportunity to improve on his 10th-place finish at the Olympics in 2021.
In a column in the Metro, Wightman said: “At 30, my priority has to be medical support so I’m relocating to Manchester in a bid to squeeze as much as I can out of my remaining years in the sport.
Embed from Getty Images“Our only athletics gold in Paris came from Keely Hodgkinson, who is based in Manchester, and every physio I’ve ever had is up there so something has been telling me it’s time for a change.
“Not being able to compete was sad for me, the cruellest of ways for my journey to Paris to end.
“Training for the 800 is really hard on the body but I’d just had one of the best sessions I’ve ever had, only for my glute to tighten in the last 200m.”
Wightman was a surprise 1500m winner at the 2022 World Championships, beating fellow Brit Josh Kerr and the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
As his father and coach Geoff commentated, Wightman won Britain’s first middle-distance gold at a global championship since 1984.
Wightman added: “It’s about proving I can still do it and I want to do another Olympic cycle.
“I fully intend to return to the level I know I can compete at over the coming months and be competitive and give myself a shot at Los Angeles. It’s time to move on.”
Feature image by Tirza van Dijk on Unsplash
