+ A
A -
Tribune News Network
Doha
British middle-distance runner Laura Weightman, who competes in the 1500 metres and 5000m, will take to the track at the Wanda Doha Diamond League meeting on Friday in the 3000m and is all excited.
Speaking ahead of the race, Weightman said she is always looking to explore more and this would be one.
“Excited for my last track race of the season on Friday over 3000m here in Doha. It’s a stacked field so it’s going to be fiery,” the 29-year-old tweeted.
A little earlier she had settled down to speak about her events and athletics. The 1500m finalist at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics, said, “I’ve done 5000m a little bit over the past few years but it is definitely 5000m I am excited about to explore and race more of. I think 1500m will always be one of my favourite event but going forward like the Tokyo Olympics, 5000m is an event I am going to be targeting much more.”
Weightman is also looking to do the 10,000m some day. “For now 5000m is my competitive track distance and maybe someday I would want to try 10,000m just to see if possibly I could run but as a championship event 5000m is going to remain my focus,” she said.
Asked if she would like to do the steeplechase race, she quipped, “I would be scared to go over the obstacles especially the water jump, so I think I should stick to the 5000m for now.”
On what has started to change in sport since the coronavirus and the lockdown, Weightman said it’s been a different kind of build up for events.
“In the UK we had quite a strict lockdown for six to eight weeks, all the gym and track facilities were closed so at that stage we just went back to winter training. So, it worked for more miles and road workout and when we had access to facilities again in late May we could go back to the track and do more race specific training.
“It’s been a different kind of build up but I don’t think it impacted me so much in that I could spend more time getting a bigger base which suited me,” she explained.
In Doha, Weightman will battle some big guns in the 3000m but her recent personal best of 4:00.09 in 1500m fetched after six years at the ISTAF Meeting in Berlin in the second week of September should an indication of how well she is shaping up.
Doha
British middle-distance runner Laura Weightman, who competes in the 1500 metres and 5000m, will take to the track at the Wanda Doha Diamond League meeting on Friday in the 3000m and is all excited.
Speaking ahead of the race, Weightman said she is always looking to explore more and this would be one.
“Excited for my last track race of the season on Friday over 3000m here in Doha. It’s a stacked field so it’s going to be fiery,” the 29-year-old tweeted.
A little earlier she had settled down to speak about her events and athletics. The 1500m finalist at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics, said, “I’ve done 5000m a little bit over the past few years but it is definitely 5000m I am excited about to explore and race more of. I think 1500m will always be one of my favourite event but going forward like the Tokyo Olympics, 5000m is an event I am going to be targeting much more.”
Weightman is also looking to do the 10,000m some day. “For now 5000m is my competitive track distance and maybe someday I would want to try 10,000m just to see if possibly I could run but as a championship event 5000m is going to remain my focus,” she said.
Asked if she would like to do the steeplechase race, she quipped, “I would be scared to go over the obstacles especially the water jump, so I think I should stick to the 5000m for now.”
On what has started to change in sport since the coronavirus and the lockdown, Weightman said it’s been a different kind of build up for events.
“In the UK we had quite a strict lockdown for six to eight weeks, all the gym and track facilities were closed so at that stage we just went back to winter training. So, it worked for more miles and road workout and when we had access to facilities again in late May we could go back to the track and do more race specific training.
“It’s been a different kind of build up but I don’t think it impacted me so much in that I could spend more time getting a bigger base which suited me,” she explained.
In Doha, Weightman will battle some big guns in the 3000m but her recent personal best of 4:00.09 in 1500m fetched after six years at the ISTAF Meeting in Berlin in the second week of September should an indication of how well she is shaping up.
