Jake Wightman will not defend his 1500m at the World Championships in August due to injury. He suffered a stress fracture of his foot during a gym session at the start of this year and says he has “run out of time” to make it back to fitness in time to compete in Budapest.
Ad The Scottish athlete took a shock victory in the event in Eugene a year ago as he burst past Jakob Ingebrigtsen with 200m remaining before holding off the Olympic champion to win gold.
Athletics'Sky is the limit' — Hughes targets World Championships after record-breaking run26/06/2023 AT 08:40 Despite having not raced this season, Wightman was guaranteed a place at the World Championships as a defending champion but he has chosen not to take part.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Wightman said: “As a result of my injury, I’ve had to deal with several more set backs as I prepared to race this summer. “I’ve always felt as though time has been on my side to overcome my problems fully, however it has finally run out.