In his pursuit of gold in Paris and a new national record, Josh Kerr has claimed British Olympic medals this summer in the 1500m after breaking Steve Cram’s 39-year-old mile record in Oregon.
Happened in the Diamond League match, he finished ahead of Norway’s Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Fellow GB athlete Scots Neil Gourley and former world champion Jake Wightman came in fourth and fifth.
“It was probably one of the best mile fields that’s ever been assembled,” said Kerr.
Kerr – Target Olympic
After admitting that there would be a lot of challenges as the British Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics are about to commence, Kerr declared: “I can guarantee right now there are going to be medals for the UK at the Olympic Games in the 1500 and they can come from any one of us.”
He added: “My goal in this sport was to be a world and Olympic champion… I’ve got the indoor and outdoor titles, but I don’t have the Olympic champion yet, so I don’t want to risk anything… Obviously I am there to go after gold, but I know the guys who will be on the team with me will be trying to do the same thing.”
Moreover, Kerr would only remark that he is ‘having a blast’ when asked about his personal rivalry with Ingebrigtsen. He stated: “The Brits and Europeans dominate this distance now like it was in the golden age of 1500m running. I’m proud to be leading that and I wanted to make sure, against a class field like that, I could still put in the work and show who the best guy is.”
Cover Photo: IG
Source: BBC