Long gone from the 2024 Paris Olympic season, Jake Wightman, the British middle-distance runner, might remember this moment for some standout reason. He might hardly be able to connect the dots between his entry in the 800m Paris Olympic squad while losing his berth in his trademark event, 1500m. Another point that might give him sleepless nights would be how he gained selection in 800m despite having lackluster performances in the event in that season and a calf injury that kept him out of the penultimate British championships. But one thing worth applauding Wightman for and that is on two individuals’ role in his overall career development. 

Among those two, Geoff, Jake’s father, plays the role of his coach. Another one is Sam Wightman, who is an actor by his choice. But being Jake’s twin brother, he once stood to be his biggest rival and subsequently engaged him to give his best. But the million-dollar question is how? 

Meet Sam, who gave Jake Wightman chills before every race not as a brother but as a competitor

Jake and his twin brother, Sam Wightman, started their track training under the careful watch of their mother, Susan Tooby. Notably, Susan, with her twin sister, Angela, used to be the formidable names in the 1980s’ distance running. So, having an idea of how the sporting rivalry looks among the same blood, Susan coached her sons to be competitive against each other. The example of it was visible on March 16, 2003, as both brothers entered the half marathon in Bath being the opponent of each other. Their father, Geoff, was present on the field being the announcer. As per his and the spectators’ accounts, the nine-year-old Jake had to face defeat on that day. 

He sobbed profusely as his fall and the subsequent injury on his knee made him sit down on the track. But his pain doubled after watching his brother Sam go past him, unscratched. The heartbroken kid tried to find his solace by thinking about other things. But the mark remained as later, Jake did not let the result repeat. Meanwhile, Sam did not continue with running as after 16 years of age, he chose other interests while Jake came under his father’s tutelage to take running as his profession. But their mother still remembers those incidents that worked in hindsight to make Jake Wightman competitive on the track. 

How Sam made Jake strong: A twin brother rivalry that never reached a negative peak 

In 2022, Jake Wightman claimed the Oregon World Championship title in the 1500m event. Naturally, the Wightman family witnessed the achievement and celebrated the occasion. However, being a thorough observer of his brother’s rise, Sam took to the X and put an emotional caption framing every part of their growing up. The caption conceded, “Very proud that my under-10s training partner @jakeswightman is now 1500m World Champion…Honoured to have been breathing down your neck from day 1 & motivating you to run that little bit quicker…Proof that years of dedication, focus & sheer hard work pays off eventually.” Their mother, Susan, had something more to add. 

Mentioning the bond between Jake and his brother, she said, “Sam has a special relationship with Jake. And because he’s not an athlete himself – although he is quite a good runner, he’s an actor – he’s so proud of him.” The same emotion was reflected in the world champion’s voice as well. Rather, he thanked his twin brother for being competitive. 

In several interviews, Jake Wightman claimed that he had always hated to be defeated by his brother. But in a conversation with BBC in 2021, he cherished all those childhood experiences of running with Sam. He also confessed that his rivalry with Sam made him far more competitive, which eventually paid him nicely. “We would always be first and second. My fear would be that my brother would beat me in a race, I dreaded that. That was one thing I hated the thought of, which, as a result, has pushed me on a bit and given me that competitive instinct”, as he pointed out. He will carry those realizations surely in any of his days.