Alumnus Wightman (Retailing, Marketing and Management, 2016), who won brilliantly at last month’s World Championships in Oregon, made his move with 200m to go but couldn’t quite hold on at Alexander Stadium.
Hoare sat back in fifth, timing his run to perfection to take the title on the line from Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot.
Meanwhile, Loughborough student Matt Stonier ran a three-second personal best to finish seventh in his first major championships.
Wightman, 28 – who chose to compete in the 1500m over the 800m in Birmingham – has now matched the medal he won at Gold Coast 2018 and will certainly reflect on successful summer.
Loughborough’s dedicated 2022 Commonwealth Games website features all the latest news, videos, and medal tables from Birmingham.