Jake Wightman determined to sparkle at Diamond League final

Jake Wightman wants to end his track season with a flourish in tonight's Diamond League final in Brussels and show he belongs among the global elite.

Jake Wightman will target Tom McKean's Scottish 800m record

The Capital prospect, 24, runs the 800 metres at the Van Damme Memorial meeting after qualifying with a top-eight points finish over the season.

It underlines how far Wightman has come in 12 months with bronze medals from both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games to take away from 2018. But now the challenge is to ensure he cements his position at the head of the country’s middle-distance pack in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

“Even within Britain, I’m one of the older ones making finals at the age of 24,” the Edinburgh AC runner said. “You could find your time at the top cut short before the time you’d hoped. But I feel like I’m nearer the start than the finish because I didn’t go to as many championships when I was younger.”

The event gives Wightman one last shot this year at chasing Tom McKean’s Scottish record of 1:43.88. “I need to make sure I’m in the right position so I can use my speed,” he said. “And I feel I can run a bit quicker than I have already. It’s been a long season but it’s a nice accomplishment to be in the final.”

Elsewhere in Brussels, European champion Laura Muir runs in the 1500m while British duo Reece Prescod and CJ Ujah take on the best of the USA in the 100m final.