What better way to end a year in which you won your first world athletics title than with… a parkrun.
That is how Jake Wightman decided to cap off 2022, taking the Dulwich 5km fun run crown in 14 minutes and 52 seconds – more than a minute ahead of the next best registered runner, as you would expect.
It was a slightly more leisurely pace than Wightman ran when he took 1500m gold in Oregon in July, when he beat Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to clinch the title in 3:29.23.
It is not the first time Wightman has treated runners at a local parkrun, having also won the race in Bushy Park on 24 December.
The 28-year-old will get the chance to defend his 1500m title at the World Championships in Budapest in August 2023 – plenty of time to surprise local runners on a Saturday morning before then.
