by Stuart Weir
Men’s 1500 meters
Stuart Weir did this piece on the heats of the Men’s 1,500 meters. The quality of the field is such that both of the heats had some serious challenges. Looking forward to the final!
Copyright Bobby Gavin
There were two heats of the 1500m, with 23 athletes seeking 12 places in the final. The 1500 is one of Britain’s strongest events, but it is not as simple as that this week. When Jake Hayward, Josh Kerr, and Elliot Giles qualified for the final from heat 1, it was not three British athletes but a Welsh, a Scottish, and an English! All three were highly motivated; Jake Hayward just missed out on selection for Oregon, and Josh Kerr could not add a world championship medal to his Olympic medal.
Commonwealth Games 2022
Copyright Bobby Gavin
Elliot Giles, a potential 800m medalist, missed Oregon through injury. Oliver Hoare won the race in 3:37.57 from Timothy Cheruiyot, with Jake Hayward, Josh Kerr, and Elliot Giles all making the final.
Commonwealth Games 2022
Copyright Bobby Gavin
The second heat was more than 10 seconds slower, with the world champion Jake Wightman winning in 3:48.34. Among the other qualifiers were Abel Kipsang and Neil Gourley, whose preparations for Oregon were hampered by Covid.
Copyright Bobby Gavin
One disappointment was the withdrawal through the injury of Stewart McSweyn.
The final is on Saturday morning.
