British Miller speaks that The Olympic final, his hopes for the Grand Slam running league and why he doesn’t care about his rivals
It hasn’t been a winter of discontent for Josh Kerr so far. There’s been no controversy surrounding his home Olympic 1500m final of epic proportions, which he did so much to build up to, but ended up falling short. to the result he so desperately wanted.
The silver lining to Cole Hawker’s second-place finish in the final meters of the Stade de France was the knowledge that “nothing was left on the table” as he replaced Mo Farah as the British record holder in 3:27.79 won gold rather than the world champion handing it over.
“What makes me happy is that I did everything for the best result, and it was the best result I could ever get,” says the Edinburgh AC athlete. “I should have done one thing or the other.” It was the best 1500m I’ve ever run, and it might not be the best 1500m I’ll ever run in my life , what we wanted, but I’m still very proud of what it was.”
It was a final that lived up to the considerable hype, much of it generated by the very public and less-than-friendly verbal sparring that took place between Carey and his arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen. instead, it was Hawker who delivered the knockout blow.
“I feel like I’m a big reason why the race is as elevated as it is, and I feel a lot of responsibility for that,” Kerr said. “I know the other 1500m guys are very grateful because of how big a stage we made it. I think we put on a show. We made people care about our sport.”
Olympic 1500m final (River)
Expect more of the same in 2025. When asked about Hawker and third-place finisher Jared Nugus crashing the party, and if that means the mind games and candid exchanges with Ingebrigtsen are likely to go away, Kerr’s response suggests that: if anything, the fire will burn stronger.
“I’m trying to be the best 1500m runner of our era and that means I have to have more titles than everyone else and run faster, so anyone who’s going to challenge will get my honest opinion of their life.” and race,” Kerr says. “I wouldn’t say I have a specific view on any of these guys right now, but if they say something or something. do something I don’t quite agree with, I’ll let them know.”
All of the above contribute to the ambition to place athletics and middle distance running deeper in the public consciousness. Kerr takes his role in doing so very seriously, which is why he was one of the first athletes to sign up for Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track and Field League. “, which will hold four meetings: in Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. April from the beginning to the end of June.
Kerr is an ambassador for the project, led by the former Olympic 200m and 400m champion, which is being staged in hopes of bringing more attention, revenue and structure to the sport. In a recent interview, Johnson said he hopes he “can save track’, but as an athlete at the heart of an event that consistently generates headlines, does Kerr feel the sport actually needs saving?
“It’s going in the right direction and I think we’re growing as a sport, but the big thing about Grand Slam Track is (it’s) bringing amateur sports into the professional league,” he said. I can sign you Josh Kerr’s shoe contract right now and put you in the diamond league and you’ll be a professional athlete. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at, it’s who you know and I think that should be a little heavier to be considered a professional sport.
“I think it can raise every level of our competition by bringing more races to a higher level. It raises everyone’s fees from an athlete perspective, and I think it gives athletes more of a platform to say what we’re doing.” and to try to promote our sport. I don’t think we needed a lot of savings from a growth perspective, but I also think this could usher in a whole new era of track and field, which is really exciting to be a part of. is”.
Josh Kerr (Bobby Gavin)
Kerr’s role in the project means: “I’m not just a racer, I’m also a part of helping them find what we think is the best way (forward), especially from the athletes’ point of view.
“There’s definitely a lot of things that we athletes have a say in, which is really nice, and if I pick up the phone and talk to anybody in the league, they’re going to listen and take that into consideration. I think that’s really good is for the athletes and the brands they work with as well. There is no shoe partner as part of the league and this allows us to showcase our biggest brands and hopefully generate more revenue. for athletes. I hope that it will be in every professional athlete in the sport.”
Each competitor must run twice at each Grand Slam track meet, meaning we’ll be seeing a lot more of Carey, an athlete known for racing very sparingly, than usual in 2025.
Taking on a new and different challenge is part of what helps keep motivation levels up after a grueling Olympic run, while there’s also the small matter of having a world title to defend in Tokyo in September his world 3000m crown, which he won so convincingly in Glasgow, in the spring, but there is also a sense that the shackles are loosening, if not coming off completely.
“I think it goes back to research mode,” Kerr said of next year. “When you’re preparing for the Olympics, you have to figure out what worked and what didn’t, and then kind of stick with it. in the preceding few years.
“It’s more for me now. “Well, it’s been a great ride and we’ve done everything we can, and now let’s go back and see what else we can change.” run, plus I’ve got some titles to try and win, so it’s going to be a busy year. You’ll definitely be seeing a lot more of me on the track.”
Josh Kerr (John Neapolitan)
For now, Kerr can’t go very far with his Green Card application, but it suits him well and allows him to continue building a base on America’s west coast. led by Danny Mackie, are planning their next steps.It is noticeable that Kerr regularly refers to “we” rather than “I” when talking about his work. preferring to speak from the collective.
“It’s a team effort, and in three years we’ve managed an Olympic bronze, an Olympic silver and two World Championship gold medals,” said the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist. “You have to respect the sport for what it really is it’s good and it keeps you honest and very much back to reality.
“We can go back and forth all year with really good 1500m runners and then they just blow us away with someone brand new. So you have to take the results as they are. You can’t worry too much, what’s going on in other people’s camps and what other people are doing because you just have to focus on yourself, accept those results and move on to the next one. Sport is pretty fast-paced and always on the horizon there’s another competition.”
As he begins another Olympic cycle, starting in Los Angeles 2028, the 27-year-old feels very different from the man who finished third in Tokyo three years ago in time.
“It’s turning into the athlete I’ve always aspired to be,” he says. “This is great.” But we as athletes normalize (it) so quickly and try to just go out and get more. I don’t know if that’s the best mindset, but I think it’s one hope it helps you keep winning.
“It’s a very busy life, but at the heart of it is just getting out and exercising. I think the biggest balancer of all is time. The clock won’t slow down for you just because you’re good.”
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