Portugal's Isaac Nader clinches gold in the 1,500m men's world championships
Portugal's Nader Stuns the Field to Win World Championship in Tokyo
Jake Wightman of Great Britain came close to defending his world title in the men's 1500m race at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, but a surprising victory went to Portugal's Nander.
Nander, who was born in Faro to a Moroccan father and Portuguese mother, had a brilliant finish at the line to take the gold medal, earning Portugal's first medal of the championships. He finished the race in 3 minutes and 34.10 seconds.
Wightman, who had a difficult few years, was happy to make the team for the World Athletics Championships. He said that the silver medal he won was like a gold for him, after enduring injuries since his shock world title win in Eugene in 2022. Wightman was just two-hundredths of a second behind Nander in the final race.
Niels Laros of the Netherlands took the lead in the final, with Wightman on his shoulder and Josh Kerr in the middle of the pack. However, Kerr struggled with a leg injury and fell to last position with 600m to run.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Norwegian 2021 Olympic champion, did not make it out of the heats in the 1500m race. Cole Hocker, the Olympic champion, was disqualified in the semi-finals for 'jostling'.
Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya injected a sudden surge that split the pack, while Reynold Cheruiyot was also in the front. Jake Wightman made a move heading into the final 200m, rounding both Niels Laros and Timothy Cheruiyot. However, Nander had a perfectly-timed finish to take the lead and secure the victory.
Reynold Cheruiyot of Kenya won the bronze medal in the 1500m race. Wightman was happy with his performance and believed that he still had something in him during the race. He plans to compete in the European championships next year as well as the world championships in Beijing in 2027.
Meanwhile, Josh Kerr, a British defender and pre-race favourite, came in last in the 1500m race. Nander, who is 26 years old, will undoubtedly be looking to defend his title in the coming years.
