Great Britain’s Josh Kerr pulled off a stunning upset in the men’s 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday (23 August). The 25-year-old Scot outran the Olympic champion and heavy favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway to claim the gold medal in a thrilling sprint finish.
Kerr follows Wightman’s footsteps
Kerr, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, emulated his compatriot Jake Wightman, who beat Ingebrigtsen to the world title in Eugene, Oregon, last year. Wightman missed this year’s championships due to injury, but Kerr ensured that the British flag would fly high again in the metric mile.
Kerr ran a smart and tactical race, staying close to the front of the pack and avoiding any trouble. He was in fourth place at the bell, behind Ingebrigtsen and his fellow Norwegians Narve Gilje Nordås and Filip Ingebrigtsen. As Jakob Ingebrigtsen accelerated in the final lap, Kerr followed him closely and made his move with 200 metres to go. He surged past the Norwegian star and held him off in the home straight, crossing the line in a personal best of 3:29.38. Ingebrigtsen settled for silver in 3:29.55, while Nordås took bronze in 3:29.68.
Kerr’s remarkable rise
Kerr’s victory was a remarkable achievement for a runner who only started competing at the international level in 2017. He was born in Edinburgh and moved to the United States to study at the University of New Mexico, where he won three NCAA titles. He turned professional in 2018 and joined the Oregon Track Club Elite, where he trains under coach Mark Rowland.
Kerr made his breakthrough at the Tokyo Olympics, where he ran a then-personal best of 3:29.05 to win bronze behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot. He improved his time by 0.67 seconds in Budapest, becoming the second-fastest British man ever over 1500m, behind only Mo Farah.
Ingebrigtsen’s dominance challenged
Jakob Ingebrigtsen had entered the championships as the overwhelming favourite, having dominated the event this season. He set a world lead of 3:27.14 in Monaco in July, breaking his own European record. He also won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, ending Kenya’s streak of four consecutive titles.
However, for the second year in a row, he was denied the world crown by a British runner. In 2022, he was beaten by Wightman in a close finish in Eugene. This year, he was outkicked by Kerr in Budapest. The 20-year-old Norwegian still has a chance to win another medal in the 5000m final on Friday (25 August), where he will face Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega, the Olympic champion.
Medal table update
With Kerr’s gold, Great Britain moved up to fourth place in the medal table with four golds, one silver and two bronzes. The United States leads with nine golds, six silvers and five bronzes, followed by Kenya with six golds, four silvers and two bronzes. Ethiopia is third with five golds, three silvers and four bronzes.
The World Athletics Championships will conclude on Sunday (27 August) with 12 more finals, including the men’s and women’s marathons.
