Coe lauds spectacular Wightman win among his world highlights

EUGENE, Oregon : Sebastian Coe, the head of world athletics and twice Olympic champion over 1,500 metres, said it was spectacular to have a British male winner over the distance at the World Championships, particularly an athlete he knows very well.

Jake Wightman was a surprise gold medallist at the distance where Coe twice won Olympic gold, surging past Norwegian favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen with a perfectly-judged performance worthy of Coe at his world-dominating best.

It was also one of the most memorable and emotional moments of the week as Jake's father Geoff was the stadium commentator and announced: "Wow. That's my son and he's a world champion" - and Coe then presented the gold medal on the Hayward Field track.

"To have a British athlete holding that title for the first time since 1983 was spectacular," Coe said, referring to Steve Cram's success in the first World Championships.

"I know Jake extremely well. I know Geoff his father and Jan, Jake's mother, was my eldest daughter's first PE teacher, so I was delighted.

"I was also pleased at Europe's breakthrough in middle distance and endurance again - the top five all Europeans. I think that's really important where we're spreading the Good News."

It was the first European top five in a middle or long distance world final since the 1983 worlds.

Sticking with his golden distance, though he was always considered a stronger force over 800 metres, Coe also said that the women's 1,500 metres event won by Kenyan Faith Kipyegon "blew him away" and that he was particularly impressed by Briton Laura Muir's decision to go with the early searing pace and reap the reward with a bronze medal.

Holding a news conference ahead of Sunday's final session of events, Coe, as he usually is,