7th August 2024

Josh Kerr privileged to be part of special 1500m Olympic final

Josh Kerr has a keen sense of history – and admits it was special to be part of one of the greatest 1500m finals.

The fabled middle-distance race has a treasure trove of classics in its locker, and the 2024 Olympic final certainly belongs as Kerr surged to a stunning silver.

The Scotsman is now missing just one colour from his Olympic medal collection and is more determined than ever before to find it.

The Edinburgh runner timed his sprint to the line almost perfectly and moved into the lead with 100 metres to go, but was pipped to the line by a charging Cole Hocker of the USA.

Kerr was delighted with his performance after setting a new national record time of 3:27.79, and is already looking to the next Olympics in LA.

“It’s left me really hungry and ready for more,” said Kerr. “This road is not over and I’m already looking ahead to the next one.

“I’ve medalled in every major championship in the last four years bar one, I’m secure in myself. I will get the medal I want by the end of my career, so here’s to Los Angeles.

“I wanted the gold, I got silver. That’s better than bronze and better than nothing.”

This instant classic was billed as a straight shoot-out between Kerr and defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen – but Hocker had the decisive last word.

Kerr and Ingebrigtsen brought all the pre-race sass and swagger – the Scot in his golden spikes, the Norwegian raising his finger to the crowd to indicate he was world number one.

Ingebrightsen set a searing pace out front and Kerr sat on his shoulder, waiting to strike on the final lap.

It appeared Kerr had played it perfectly as he moved around the Norwegian to take the lead but Ingebrigtsen responded by forcing Kerr slightly wide.

Kerr seemed certain to hang on to win but Hocker came charging through the gap on the inside to snatch gold in the final 10 metres.

“I’ve put out a performance that I can be super proud of,” insisted Kerr, who clocked 3:27.79 to erase Sir Mo Farah’s British record.

“I ran the fastest and best tactical 1500m of my life and when you start worrying about what other people do, you’ll never be satisfied.

“It’s not the colour of medal I wanted but it’s working towards the right colour from bronze to silver.

“I work on my mental strength day in day out, I was so excited and I knew I could put in a performance I could be proud of. I focused on executing the best 1500m race I could and I did that.”

He certainly did. Kerr’s time was more than a second quicker than he ran in Tokyo – and ticked off another career goal.

“I have been wanting that record for a very long time,” he said of breaking Farah’s time.

“It is about time for a 1500m runner to get that record. Mo Farah is a legend but he is a long-distance runner. I am very proud to get it back.”

Now, the hard work starts for the next cycle and Kerr’s story is far from over.

Next summer, he will hope to defend the 1500m world title, and then start to work towards LA 2028.

Athletics might be an individual sport, but Kerr was also quick to highlight the support of his team, including coach Danny Mackey, for helping him get there.

“It is my team’s body of work as much as mine,” he said.

“I turn up and do the grunt work but they do the smart thinking. I just follow orders.

“All I knew was that if I turned up and came away with a race I’m proud of, it’s all I can. That was everything today. There was nothing I could have done differently, it was a good as I have got.”

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Watch every moment of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games athletics competitions on Discovery+ and BBC Sport.

 

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