Wightman lambasts poor performance despite making it through to 800m final

By Will Jennings in Munich

Jake Wightman delivered a damning assessment of his European 800m semi-final display despite keeping his medal hopes alive in Munich.

The 1500m world champion has opted to run a shortened distance this week at the multi-sports championships in a bid to showcase his versatility and keep his future options open.And it almost backfired on Friday night as Wightman, 28, was forced into a final lap battle to edge into the final.

He hit the throttle when the pressure was on to plough through the field and cross the line in a time of 1:46.61 behind Spaniard Mariano Garcia.

Wightman admits he fell well short of the ‘perfection’ he desired but can take significant confidence from the fitness levels demonstrated off the final bend.

The Scot, who won Commonwealth 1500m bronze in Birmingham earlier this month, said: “I actually ran that very poorly.

“I thought I’d screwed it up as I was in such a bad position.

“I wasn’t good - basically, I wanted to go and be as close to perfect as possible and I thought I’d be alright.

“But I was very far from perfect. I made a lot of mistakes from horrible positions, but the fact I still got through is quite a big confidence boost for me.

“But the confidence I’ve taken is that I must be fit enough if I can come back from that position, because that’s not where I want to be.

“There’s guys that have a lot quicker 400m pace – I don’t really know, I haven’t run enough 800m to know what I can run this season.”

Wightman’s dad and coach Geoff – who went viral after commentating on his son’s breathtaking 1500m world title in the stadium in Eugene – is playing a far more visible role in Germany this week.

And Wightman admits the pair are firmly on the same page after what he hopes will prove an educational exercise ahead of Sunday night’s final.

“I know my dad will say how bad that was,” he added.

“And I knew that was bad – I felt there was some doubt that I’d be able to come back because we closed pretty quick.

“I feel like I’m fit enough that I can make those mistakes and get through them.”

Dina Asher-Smith insisted her European 200m silver medal is an unfair reflection of her fitness levels after the final race of the evening.

The 2019 world champion finished second behind Swiss star Mujinga Kambundji after pulling up in the 100m final with cramp earlier in the week.

Asher-Smith, 26, missed this month’s Commonwealth Games with a hamstring injury before making her hotly-anticipated return in Munich.

But she was unable to grab 200m gold as a time of 22.43s fell 0.11s short of Kambundji.

Asher-Smith, who finished ahead of Dane Ida Karstoft and British teammate Jodie Williams in third and fourth, said: “I am in better shape than that.

"I came here to win so I am not super happy.

“But it's silver and that's still good”

Zharnel Hughes ended his European Championship campaign on a high after scorching to gold in the 200m.

Hughes claimed silver in Tuesday night’s 100m – behind Olympic champion Marcel Jacob – but climbed to the top of the podium over the longer distance in a season’s best time of 20.07.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake completed a British one-two with silver while young star Charlie Dobson narrowly missed out on a medal in fourth.

Discus thrower Lawrence Okoye claimed a brilliant bronze as a season’s best effort of 67.14m hauled him onto the podium.

Lithuanian powerhouse Mykolas Alekna claimed a championship record with a mammoth throw of 69.78 while Slovenian Kristjan Ceh scooped silver.

In the women’s triple jump, Britain’s Naomi Metzger finished just 0.12cm off a podium place as a jump of 14.33m earned her a respectable sixth.

While earlier in the day, Britain’s four relay teams successfully booked their places in this weekend’s 4x100m and 4x400m finals.

The multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022, featuring Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Cycling, Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Rowing, Sport Climbing, takes place 11th-21st August on the 50th anniversary of the Olympics Games in the German city. Watch daily live coverage across BBC One, Two, Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website