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Josh Kerr (runner)

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Josh Kerr (born 8 October 1997)[4] is a British middle-distance runner who competes primarily in the 1500 metres. He won a gold medal in the event at the 2023 World Championships, a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and a gold medal at the 2015 European Junior Championships. Indoors he is the 2024 World Indoor champion in the 3000 metres. He holds the world best time in the short track 2 mile, the European record in the short track mile & 3000 m, and the British record in the outdoor 1500m and mile.

Josh Kerr
Kerr at the 2019 Millrose Games
Personal information
Born (1997-10-08) 8 October 1997 (age 27)
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom[1]
EducationUniversity of New Mexico[2]
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Sport
CountryGreat Britain & N.I.
Scotland
SportAthletics
Event(s)1500 metres, Mile
College teamNew Mexico Lobos
ClubBrooks Beasts Track Club
Edinburgh AC
Coached byDanny Mackey (2018–)
Joe Franklin (2015–2018)
Mark Pollard (2015)
David Campbell (–2015)
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 1500 m
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo 1500 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Budapest 1500 m
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Glasgow 3000 m
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Eskilstuna 1500 m
For the Australian rugby player, see Josh Kerr (rugby league).

Kerr competed for the University of New Mexico from 2015 to 2018, where he was a three-time NCAA champion. He set a collegiate record in the 1500 m in April 2017 that stood until May 2021. Kerr turned professional in 2018 to compete for the Brooks Beasts Track Club. In 2023, Sportscotland named him Scottish sportsperson of the year.

In June 2024, Kerr confirmed that he had signed with Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track league for the 2025 season, in the short distance (800 m / 1500 m) category.[5]

Early life and background

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Josh Kerr was born on 8 October 1997 in Edinburgh, Scotland.[6] His mother works as a physiotherapist, and his father is a former rugby player. His older brother Jake is a professional rugby player. Kerr began running with the Edinburgh Athletics Club at the age of 8. He was educated at George Watson’s College.[7] At 16, he started reaching out to athletic coaches at colleges in the United States, aiming to compete in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).[1][8] Kerr received several negative responses from coaches, except from the coach at the University of New Mexico, who offered the teenager a full athletics scholarship. In the summer before he started college, Kerr won gold in the 1500 m at the 2015 European Athletics Junior Championships.[1] The following month, at age 17, he moved to Albuquerque and began competing for the University of New Mexico, majoring in exercise science.[2]

Collegiate competition

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Kerr (centre) in the 1500 metres at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships

While at the University of New Mexico, Kerr won three NCAA titles and set the collegiate record in the 1500 m. In March 2017, he won his first national title in the indoor mile, defeating Edward Cheserek, the collegiate record holder in the event and a 15-time NCAA champion.[1] In June 2017, Kerr secured a second national title by winning the outdoor 1500 m, becoming the first man since Leo Manzano in 2008 to achieve both the indoor mile and the outdoor 1500 m titles in the same year.[9] He repeated his success in the indoor mile in March 2018, claiming another national title. On 20 April 2018, Kerr broke the collegiate record in the 1500 m with a time of 3:35.01, surpassing Sydney Maree's 1981 record of 3:35.30.[10] This record stood for 3 years and 24 days, until it was broken by Yared Nuguse in May 2021. Kerr's final collegiate race was in June 2018, where he finished third in the 1500 m at the NCAA Championships.[11]

Professional competition

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2018–2020: Early professional career

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Kerr turned professional in June 2018, forgoing his senior year of eligibility in the NCAA.[12] He signed a sponsorship deal with Brooks Sports, a Seattle-based company, to train under coach Danny Mackey as part of the Brooks Beasts Track Club. The Scotsman divided his training time between Seattle and Albuquerque. In August 2019, he participated in the 1500 m at the British Athletics Championships, where he secured a silver medal, finishing behind Neil Gourley. This performance qualified him to represent Britain in the 1500 m at the 2019 World Championships later that month, where he placed sixth in the final.[13]

2021: Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist

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In May 2021, Kerr set a personal best of 1:45.74 in the 800 metres. The following month, he won his first national championship in the 1500 m for Great Britain.[14] This victory secured his spot to represent the British team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were rescheduled to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Olympic 1500 m final, Kerr won a Bronze medal in a personal best of 3:29.05, finishing behind Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot.[15]

2022: European record in indoor mile

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On 27 February 2022, Kerr ran 3:48.87 for the indoor mile at the Boston University Last Chance Meet. This performance broke Eamonn Coghlan's European indoor mile record, which had stood since 1983, and Peter Elliot’s British indoor mile record from 1990. Additionally, Kerr's 1500 m split of 3:32.86 enroute to the finish set a new British national record for the indoor 1500 m, surpassing Elliot’s previous record.[16][17] In July, the Scotsman competed in the 1500 m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. He finished in 5th place with a time of 3:30.60.[18]

2023: Gold medalist at World Championships

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Kerr reacts after winning the 1500 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championship

On 23 August 2023, Kerr defeated Norwegian favorite Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the final of the 1500 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. It was the second successive World Championship where Ingebrigtsen was upset in the final of the 1500 metres by an athlete from Edinburgh Athletic Club, following teammate and compatriot Jake Wightman's victory in Eugene in 2022.[19]

Later that month, on 31 August 2023, Kerr competed in the Diamond League Final for the 1500 m, aiming to break the British record.[20] He finished second to Yared Nuguse in a time of 3:30.51. This mark was 1.7 seconds off the national record.

In his final race of the season on 10 September 2023, Kerr won the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, clocking a time of 3:47.9.[21] He ended the year ranked third in the World Athletics Rankings for the 1500 m, behind Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse.[22] He was named Scottish sportsperson of the year in 2023 by Sportscotland.[23]

 
Kerr at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships

2024

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Indoor Success: World Best & World Champion

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In his first race of the year on 11 February, Kerr set a world best in the short track 2 mile at the Millrose Games.[24][note 1] His time of 8:00.67 surpassed the previous world best of 8:03.40 held by Mo Farah since 2015.

On 2 March, Kerr ran 7:42.98 for 3000 metres to claim gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.[25]

Outdoors: British 1500m and Mile Records, 1500m Silver Medalist

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On 20 April, Kerr opened his outdoor season in the Pro Men's 800m Challenge at the Oregon Relays, winning in a time of 1:45.94.[26]

On 25 May, at the Prefontaine Classic, Kerr won the Bowerman Mile in a new British record time of 3:45.34, ahead of Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:45.60) and Yared Nuguse (3:46.22). This eclipsed Steve Cram's previous British record of 3:46.32 by almost a full second. The race was a highly anticipated rematch between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen, and as such was billed as the "Mile of the Century."[27] This performance ranked Kerr as the sixth fastest miler in history.[28]

At the 2024 British Athletics Championships in late June, Kerr chose to compete in the 800m. In the final, Kerr finished in last after colliding with Elliot Giles on the home straight.[29]

On 5 July, Kerr was selected to race in 1500 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[30][31] Just before the athletics events got underway, he was also named as the Great Britain athletics team captain for the Games in Paris.[32][33][34] The final at these Games was anticipated because of Kerr's rivalry with fellow European middle-distance runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen.[35]

 
1500 m final in Paris. Kerr is currently in fourth position.

On 6 August, in the Olympic men's 1500 metre final, Kerr unexpectedly finished second to Cole Hocker of the United States in a sprint finish. Kerr nearly got caught at the finish line by American Yared Nuguse who finished third, while Jakob Ingebrigtsen uncharacteristically finished fourth and had led for nearly the entire race at a fast pace. In the final stretch, Ingebrigtsen was initially leading, and was passed by Kerr, while behind the two was Hocker. However, when he had room, Hocker passed Ingebrigtsen & Kerr using his notorious kick to win the race in a new Olympic record and North American area record of 3:27.65. Kerr's time to secure the silver medal was a new personal best and new British national record of 3:27.79, breaking Mo Farah's previous British record of 3:28.81 by over a second. Nuguse was one hundredth of a second behind Kerr in a new personal best of 3:27.80, while Ingebrigtsen finished in 3:28.24.[36][37]

On 8 September, Kerr won the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City, running a new course record of 3:44.3. This eclipsed Sydney Maree's previous record of 3:47.52 by more than three seconds, which had stood for 43 years, since the inaugural edition of the race in 1981. Kerr had previously won the race in 2023 as well, in a time of 3:47.9.[38][39]

In October, Kerr was named Scottish Athletics' athlete of the year.[40]

Achievements

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Information taken from World Athletics profile.[4]

International competitions

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Representing   Great Britain &   Scotland
Year Competition Venue Position Event Result Team
2015 European Junior Championships Eskilstuna, Sweden 1st 1500 m 3:49.62   Great Britain
2016 World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 10th 1500 m 3:51.23   Great Britain
European Cross Country Championships Chia, Italy 14th Junior race 17:38   Great Britain
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 34th (h) 1500 m 3:47.30   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 6th 1500 m 3:32.52   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 3rd 1500 m 3:29.05   Great Britain (GBR)
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 5th 1500 m 3:30.60   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
Commonwealth Games Birmingham, United Kingdom 12th 1500 m 3:35.72   Scotland (SCO)
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 1500 m 3:29.38   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
2024 World Indoor Championships Glasgow, Scotland 1st 3000 m 7:42.98   Great Britain
Olympic Games Paris, France 2nd 1500 m 3:27.79   Great Britain (GBR)

Personal bests

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Category Event Time Venue Date Notes
Outdoor 800 m 1:45.35 Azusa 9 July 2019
1000 m 2:17.60 Finn Rock 17 July 2020
1500 m 3:27.79 Paris 6 August 2024 British Record
Mile 3:45.34 Eugene 25 May 2024 British Record
3000 m 8:35.15 Bedford 31 August 2014
5000 m 13:23.78 Irvine 15 May 2021
Indoor 800 m 1:46.64 Spokane 11 February 2022
1500 m 3:32.86+ Boston 27 February 2022
Mile 3:48.87 Scottish Record
3000 m 7:30.14+ New York City 11 February 2024 Scottish Record
Two Miles 8:00.67 World Best

Honours

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Notes

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  1. ^ Kerr's time in the indoor 2-mile is recognized as a world best rather than an official world record by World Athletics, the international governing body for athletics. See best performances in non-WA World Record events.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Gretschel, Johanna (20 March 2017). "NCAA Mile Champion Josh Kerr Is Living The American Dream". FloTrack. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Josh Kerr Lobo Bio". University of New Mexico Lobos athletics. 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  3. ^ "KERR Josh | Paris 2024". olympics.com. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Josh KERR – Athlete profile". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. ^ "1500m World Champion Josh Kerr Signs With Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track League". CITIUS MAG. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  6. ^ Barraclough, Alice (23 August 2023). "5 things you should know about 1500m World Champ Josh Kerr". Runner's World. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  7. ^ Duncan, Thomas (4 August 2024). "The three and a half minutes that has been years in the making". BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  8. ^ Ingle, Sean (24 August 2023). "Britain's new champion Josh Kerr stirs memories of Coe, Cram and Ovett". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  9. ^ LetsRun.com (9 June 2017). "2017 NCAA Distance Recap: Three Big-Time Talents Win Their First NCAA Outdoor Titles - Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr and Emmanuel Korir". LetsRun.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  10. ^ Sully, Kevin (18 April 2018). "Josh Kerr Smashes NCAA 1500m Record! - FloTrack". www.flotrack.org. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  11. ^ LetsRun.com (8 June 2018). "Recap of NCAA Distance Drama: Saruni and Kerr Upset, Barraza Falls in Steeple, McGorty Gets Title". LetsRun.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  12. ^ Chester, Jared (18 June 2018). "UNM All-American Track Star, Josh Kerr turns pro". KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  13. ^ LetsRun.com (6 October 2019). "Timothy Cheruiyot DOMINATES Men's 1500 and Wins First World Title in 3:29.26". LetsRun.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Four Scots secure Olympic places". BBC Sport. 26 June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: GB's Josh Kerr takes 1500m bronze as Jakob Ingebrigtsen beats Timothy Cheruiyot to gold". BBC Sport. 7 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  16. ^ Hatler, Chris (3 March 2022). "These 5 Mental Strategies Propelled Josh Kerr to a European Record". Runner's World. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  17. ^ Woods, Mark (28 February 2022). "Josh Kerr smashes two records in one". Edinburgh Evening News. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  18. ^ Gault, Jonathan. "Dreams Become Reality: Jake Wightman Stuns Jakob Ingebrigtsen to Win World 1500m Title". LetsRun.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Britain's Kerr stuns Ingebrigtsen to take world gold". BBC Sport. 23 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  20. ^ Gault, Jonathan (31 August 2023). "6 Thoughts on 2023 Zurich DL: Nuguse's Incredible Diamond League Season, Fisher Is Back, & More". LetsRun.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  21. ^ Monti, David (10 September 2023). "Josh Kerr, Jemma Reekie Make For Scottish Sweep At Fifth Avenue Mile - FloTrack". www.flotrack.org. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  22. ^ "World Rankings for Men's 1500m (Mile-2000m-Mile Road) as of 2023-12-29". worldathletics.org. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  23. ^ "World champion Josh Kerr takes two top Scottish awards as Katie Archibald also wins". BBC Sport. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Josh Kerr breaks Mo Farah's indoor two-mile record at Millrose Games". BBC Sport. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  25. ^ Poole, Harry (2 March 2024). "World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024: Josh Kerr and Molly Caudery win gold medals for Great Britain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  26. ^ "AthleticLIVE". live.athletictiming.net. Retrieved 26 April 2024. On May 25, Josh Kerr competed in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic held in Eugene, Oregon. He won the race with a time of 3:45.34, outpacing a competitive field that included notable athletes such as Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Jake Wightman, and Yared Nuguse.
  27. ^ Reid, Scott (25 May 2024). "Josh Kerr, Jakob Ingebrigtsen clash in Pre's Mile of the Century". Orange County Register. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  28. ^ Lorge Butler, Sarah (25 May 2024). "Josh Kerr Beats Rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen at Prefontaine Classic". Runner's World. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  29. ^ Jasmine Collett, Sarah (10 July 2024). "Josh Kerr: "After the Olympics I want some change"". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Paris Olympics: Dina Asher-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr lead star-studded Team GB athletics squad". Eurosport. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Keely, KJT and Kerr named in Team GB squad for Paris Olympics". Athletics Weekly. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  32. ^ "DOUBLE WORLD CHAMPION JOSH KERR TO CAPTAIN ATHLETICS TEAM FOR PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES". British Athletics. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Kerr named captain of GB athletics team". BBC Sport. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  34. ^ "Josh Kerr to captain GB athletics team at Paris Olympics". Athletics Weekly. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  35. ^ Maese, Rick (6 August 2024). "The Olympics' spiciest rivals run fast, then run their mouths". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  36. ^ "MEN'S 1500M FINAL RESULTS".
  37. ^ Gaydos, Ryan (6 August 2024). "Americans Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse take home medals in 1500, snapping 112-year Olympic drought". Fox News. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Josh Kerr smashes 43-year record in winning 5th Avenue Mile". BBC Sport. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  39. ^ "A Scottish Sweep at the 2023 5th Avenue Mile". Runner's World. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  40. ^ "Kerr named Scottish athlete of the year". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  41. ^ "Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff nominated at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards : All you need to know". Tennis Clubhouse. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
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