by Stuart WeirThe 2025 British Athletics Champs: Two 1500 races to savor, by Stuart Weir
On paper, the men’s 1500 could have been the most exciting event of the Championships, with Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman (world champions both) racing Neil Gourley (2015 World Indoor medalist), George Mills (3:28.36 PR in Paris this year), and Elliott Giles (2024 Olympian) battling for three world championship places. However, it didn’t quite work out that way.
Josh Kerr, with a wild card to Tokyo as the reigning champion, chose to run the 5000 meters at the GB trials, winning comfortably. George Mills was tripped in the London Meeting last month and had not recovered sufficiently to be ready to run. Jake Wightman ran well in London, then announced that he had a “nasty stomach bug which has knocked me for six”. Then there were two.
Miramar, Florida, USA
May 2-4, 2025, photo by Kevin Morris
Gourley and Giles were on paper 5 seconds faster than the rest of the field, so the outcome seemed never in doubt. Giles would have had unpleasant memories of last year’s trials when he and Josh Kerr had a clash of legs within meters off the finish line in the 800, leaving him out of the Paris Olympics until he got a late call-up to replace Jake Wightman. This year, the race went as expected until the last 3 meters, when Gourley and Giles collided legs and Giles almost went down again (see photo).
The final result was
1 Neil Gourley 3:47.062 Elliot Giles 3.47.203 Samuel Charig 3.47.424 Thomas Keen 3.47.425 James McMurray 3.47.53
A lot closer than expected and perhaps a lot closer than it needed to be, given that Gourley and Giles are both 3.30 men. Afterwards, Gourley said: “It feels good to take three British titles in a row. The British Champs are always fun, but there is also a lot to lose. The goal today was obviously to secure the top two spots, and that was achieved. Elliott (Giles) apologised for the near miss at the finish line. I don’t think he realised how close we came, but it all works out as we are both on the same plane. I am starting to find my form in training; it would have been lovely to have Josh (Kerr) and the others in the race to test me a bit more, but you can only race those who are there, and I am happy with how that went”.
Giles said of his almost mishap: “I was disappointed with the way I finished, I stepped wider than I should have. It was a heat-of-the-moment panic, so I didn’t look too good. I panicked a little bit, which happens, but it is frustrating. I think after last year (the fall at UK champs), that’s why I was worried. But we qualified and I’m healthy, so there are positives”.
In the women’s race, with the 2024 Olympic 1500m bronze medalist Georgia Hunter-Bell opting to run the 800 at trials, the crowd was denied a duel between her and Laura Muir. (Incidentally, the word on the street is that Hunter-Bell may double up in Tokyo or choose either the 800 or the 1500, with the athlete herself saying simply that she is not yet decided.)
Muir, a Tokyo Olympic silver medalist in the 1500, was recovering from an injury, having only run twice this summer, including coming in last in the 800 at the recent London Meet. Muir is in a different class from the rest, but was she race-ready? Reeve Walcott-Nolan, a World Indoor finalist and a European Indoor medallist, seemed Muir’s biggest rival, with Katie Snowden being a third sub-four-minute athlete in the field seeking two automatic selections for Tokyo.No one seemed keen to take the race on at a fast pace.
Laura Muir initially sat at the back, as she usually does, before moving up as the race progressed. The slow pace kept everyone in touch with each other. Muir was ensuring she was in the right place, but on the final few meters, Sarah Calvert on the outside snatched the win.
The final results were:
1 Sarah Calvert 4:16.272 Laura Muir 4:16.323 Revee Walcott-Nolan 4:16.394 Erin Wallace 4:16.566 Katie Snowden 4:17.73
Calvert, 24, took silver at the recent FISU World University Championships, was running in the national championships for only the second time, having come eighth last year, said: “I actually can’t believe it; I am still shocked. I entered this race to earn a medal. I had a good run at the World University Games, but this was such a strong field, so I wasn’t sure if I could secure one. I had to have the mindset of forgetting who else was there, and pushing to see what I could do”.
A pragmatic Muir said: “The main aim today was to come top two, so it wasn’t necessarily the race or outcome we expected, but I’ve now secured my spot three times in a row in second place”.
So, who will be going to Tokyo? Laura Muir. Sarah Calvert, if she can get the qualifying standard of 4:01.50 in the next three weeks – her current PR is 4:08.14. The discretionary place will go to Georgia Hunter-Bell if she wants it. Revee Walcott-Nolan (two 3:58s last August) and Katie Snowden have the standard, and Erin Wallace is just a second outside the standard. Isn’t life complicated?
