Jake Heyward
Welsh middle-distance runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jake David T. Heyward (born 26 April 1999) is a Welsh middle-distance runner. He was a silver medalist at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in the 1500 metres, competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics and represented Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Heyward at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships – Men's 1500 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jake David T. Heyward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British (Welsh) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 April 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | 1500 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Oregon Track Club Cardiff AAC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Heyward was a European champion at under-18 and under-20 level while he was a member of the Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club. Having graduated from Cardiff University, he turned professional in 2020 with the Oregon Track Club.[1][2]
Heyward went into the British Athletics Championship and Olympic trials in Manchester in 2021 with a 3:33.99 personal best for the 1,500 metres race, which was below the minimum Olympic standard, although he had broken Neil Horsfield's 31 year old Welsh record set in Brussels in 1990.[1] On 26 June 2021 Heyward finished third in the 1,500m at the 2021 British Athletics Championships, to secure a place on the British team for the delayed 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan.[3] In Tokyo, despite being hampered by an Achilles injury Heyward came through the heats and semi-finals and placed ninth in the final of the 1500m.[4] He finished his 2021 season with a 3:52.15 mile run personal best, and Welsh record, in the 2021 Diamond League event, the Prefontaine Classic on August 21.[2]
In June 2022, he finished fourth in the 1500 metres at the 2022 British Athletics Championships.[5] He came fifth representing Wales in the 1500m race at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, running a new personal best time of 3:31.08. He won the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, finishing behind Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen.[6] Heyward finished as runner-up in the Fifth Avenue Mile behind three-time winner Jake Wightman in September 2022.[7]
