Jake Wightman secures 1500m world silver as Josh Kerr pulls up in Tokyo final

Great Britain’s Jake Wightman claimed a stunning world 1500 metres silver medal after defending champion Josh Kerr pulled up in a final won by Portugal’s Isaac Nader in Tokyo.

Wightman, the 2022 world champion, crossed the line in 3:34.12, just two one hundredths of a second behind the gold medallist.

Kerr fought his way through and finished the race last, clearly struggling, Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot collected bronze in 3:34.25, and Dutch favourite Niels Laros was fifth in 3:34.52.

Neil Gourley came 10th in the first final the Scottish trio had raced together since the 2019 world championship final in Doha.

Wightman told BBC Sport: “All I knew today was I was going to try to run to win.

“Whether that got me the win, second or third, however high up, I would just be happy I walked away with it.

“But when you come that close to winning it, you cant help but be a little bit ‘what if I had tried a bit more?’ but I left everything out there.

Published: 17/09/2025 by Radio NewsHub