Jake Wightman has ruled out a late bid to compete at March’s European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, insisting rushing his return from injury would be madness.
The 24-year-old would have started among the favourites for home success after landing outdoor Euro 1500 metres bronze last summer to establish himself among the middle-distance elite.
Instead, he’s been sent for a rehab stint at Bisham Abbey to sort out a strained glute that’s set to sideline him until the summer.
And he admitted: “I keep thinking to myself, if it wasn't in Glasgow, would I be as bothered? But I think I probably would be.
“I'm almost glad I've got a diagnosis that means I have to miss it, because if it was something that put me out for a couple of weeks and there was still a chance I could do it, I think it could get pretty frustrating.”
Instead the Edinburgh AC hopeful concedes boredom has been the biggest pain as he takes the slow lane to be fit for the Diamond League campaign and a potential 800-1500m double at the IAAF world championships in Doha.
Fixing the problem has been a mix of high and low tech with state-of-the-art ultrasound systems mixed in with a Nordic ski machine he secured on the Internet to keep his fitness on track.
“I went on eBay and for 60 quid I got one down in Portsmouth,” he revealed. “I drove there, and it was like an old couple that had had it in their garage for months, so it was rusty and all sort of squeaky, so I oiled it up, gave it a little clean, and I went on it.”
The most optimistic diagnosis is that the British No.1 will be back in time for the start of the summer and the renewal of his rivalry with club-mates Chris O’Hare and Josh Kerr, as well as rising Scots prospect Neil Gourley.
And with the outdoor season pushed back to fit in with the latest-ever date for the world’s, sitting out indoors could stop him from burning out too soon, Wightman acknowledged.
“The plan wasn't do to that,” he said. “The plan was to be able to peak twice and almost go again, but if any year this was going to happen, I'd rather it was this year because next year, with the Olympics being that bit earlier, it would be pretty tough to come back for.
“I think the fact that we've got the championships at the end of September means this isn't the worst thing in the world to happen, but it's to make sure I don't have any disruptions in the build up from now until then.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here