Jake Wightman hopes to share special Olympic moment with stadium announcer father
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Jake Wightman is second on the all-time UK list over 1500m
Scottish athlete Jake Wightman admits it would be "pretty special" if his father gets the chance to call him winning an Olympic medal.
Wightman, 26, secured his place in Tokyo by finishing second in the 1500m at the British Championships.
He is coached by his father, Geoff, who will be working in Japan as a stadium announcer.
"It is a cool opportunity to have your dad there in the stadium calling it in," Wightman told BBC Scotland.
"It would be class if that was the case. He has played a huge role in me being able to get to the Olympics. The fact he is going to be in Tokyo while I am there means that he can share the joy if I can run well.
"If he is doing the 1500m that would be nice. It's not like it makes any difference because when you are racing you are focused on what you are doing and you don't really listen to that ambient sound of the announcer anyway, especially when it is the voice you hear too often.
"But just knowing he is there, for him to be able to have that moment as well if it goes well would be something pretty special and it might only happen this once."
'Being an Olympian isn't a huge deal in my family'
Geoff represented England in the marathon at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, but did not compete at an Olympics. However, Wightman's mother and aunt are both Olympians.
Mum Susan ran in the marathon in Seoul in 1988, while her twin sister Angela contested the 10,000m at the same Games.
"That is the funny thing, being an Olympian isn't really something that is a huge a deal in my family," said Wightman. "But it's nice to be able to carry that on and now we've had two generations.
"My mum was 12th in the marathon, my auntie didn't finish the 10,000m so I think there is a bit of making up to do on that front of actually going to the Olympics and being able to perform as well as possible.
"I hope I can do that and I hope I can outdo them by going to more than one but I have just got to focus on this one at the moment."
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