Stadium announcer commentates his son’s 1500m win
Jake Wightman won the 1500 meter field to claim the world title and his dad, Geoff Wightman was the on the PA commentating as his son crossed the finish.
A sweet moment occurred at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon when Jake Wightman won the 1500 meter field. It just so happened that Wightman’s father, Geoff Wightman, was the stadium announcer.
The young Scottish man was celebrating the win when the big screen in the stadium switched over to the stadium announcer. “I have got to tell you why the camera is on me,” said Geoff Wightman. “That’s my son. I coach him. And he’s the world champion!”
Geoff Wightman is a former marathon runner himself and has been a stadium announcer for several years. This time, he got to witness his son win their country’s first 1500m world title since 1983. Wightman’s win was momentous; he was not considered a threatening competitor. He had never before achieved something so great. Until this point, he’d only ever won two bronze medals, and they were for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and European Championships.
Wightman was competing against tough company, including the 2022 world’s fastest man, Abel Kipsang. He and his father had trained hard to prepare him for the finals in Eugene, and it paid off. Wightman finished the 1500 meters in three minutes and 29 seconds.
His father, announcing his son’s win said, “Jake Wightman has just had the run of his life!” Then, letting his emotions slip a bit more, he said, “My voice has gone.”