Demonstrating that the last shall be first was Chris O’Hare’s principal target as he turned up at the Muller Anniversary Games in London’s Olympic Stadium and he set himself up perfectly for next month’s return to the venue for the World Championships with a perfectly timed effort to win the 1500 metres.
Fresh from winning the title and with it automatic World Championship qualification as Scots not only claimed all three podium spots, but were the first four finishers in the British Championship 1500 metres in Birmingham a week earlier, the 26-year-old Olympian had said he could relax ahead of the Diamond League meet.
He duly revelled in having the pressure off as he kicked down the home straight to pass Kenyan pace-setters Vincent Kibet – who finished second – and Bethwell Birgen, as well as England’s Charlie Grice.
“That’s just where I’m at right now. I’ve qualified for the Worlds, all I want to do is have fun and that’s so much fun,” he said. I was sitting in the call room just thinking, if this goes bad it goes bad, who cares? That makes running well so much easier.”
He was particularly pleased with the way he had turned things around since his last visit to the same meeting.
“It’s hugely different from last year,” said O’Hare. “Then I came down from Font [Romeu, training camp] and I hadn’t run the whole time I was there for three weeks before the Diamond League and I finished last. So to come here today fit, healthy and happy was great.”
Another whose running career has been transformed since last year’s Anniversary Games is Andrew Butchart who once again served notice of intent in the 3000m which rounded off the day.
“It’s mind blowing how far I’ve come in the past 12 months,” said the 25-year-old.
“A year ago today I was second in this race and I was over the moon. Now I’m coming to the meet expected to finish top five, top four, top three. Last year I was just happy to get in the race, so it’s crazy how much I’ve come on.”
After finishing third behind Mo Farah and Spain’s Adel Mechaal while running a personal best, Butchart expressed his admiration for the double double Olympic and world champion once more.
“He goes to the back of the race there and just chills,” he said of Farah.
“He has such good confidence he’s not bothered, he can do what he wants. I don’t have that confidence yet and I don’t have the ability yet, but hopefully one day I can get to that level. I’m still really young and me and Mo are at different stages in our career. I’m a youngster in my opinion at this level and he’s obviously a vet and doing the best he can and killing it.”
However, there was evidence in the way Butchart asserted himself when he wanted to, around three and a half laps, that indicated that he is growing in belief.
“I always knew the race was going to slow down and I knew that at that point I had to get to the front and it slowed down and I was in a box. So I was just like ‘Get out of my way, I’m not going to let you guys push me around.’ I didn’t care if I tripped someone up I was just going to do my best to get out there,” he explained.
“These guys now know who I am more and more every week and basically they’re getting worried about me and I’m getting in their heads. ”
The Scot with most reason to be pleased with his afternoon’s work, in spite of finishing ninth in the 800 metres, was Guy Learmonth. He did half of the job of qualifying for the World Championships when finishing second in the British trials the previous weekend, but knew he still had to get the qualifying time.
“To me the trials is the hard part, not running the times,” he said, however.
“I’ve had a few wee back problems in the last few months, but everything’s all good. I’ve taken it to the next level and broken into the 1.45s and now I can focus on those. As my coach said, times don’t lie in training, so regardless of my season’s best this year I knew I was running really well. If he’s happy then I’m happy, it’s as simple as that and he was super confident, especially going into the trials, so yeah, the gamble’s paid off.”
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