With his season-best performance, the 25-year-old Scottish runner Josh Kerr earned a gold medal for Great Britain & Northern Ireland in the men’s 1500m event at the World Athletics Championships 2023 (Budapest, Hungary).
World Athletics Championships 2023: Men’s 1500 Metres – The Tight Battle and Josh Kerr’s medal
On the fifth day of the World Athletics Championships 2023 (August 23), the Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze medallist Josh Kerr incredibly settled for a gold medal after finishing the race in 3:29.38. It was his season-best performance to win the crown, which was a close final battle. It was his first gold medal in the major senior championship finals.
In the previous year of the World Athletics Championships, British athlete Jake Wightman brought a gold medal for Great Britain & Northern Ireland in the same event. After Steve Cram (1983) and Wightman (2022), Kerr became the third Championship gold medallist for Great Britain & Northern Ireland in the men’s 1500m event.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Men’s 1500 Metres – Norway shined with silver and bronze medals
Meanwhile, Norway bagged two other medals in the men’s 1500m event at the World Athletics Championships 2023. While the Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medallist, the 22-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen, retained his Championship silver medal (3:29.65), the 24-year-old Narve Gilje Nordås got a bronze medal (3:29.68). Kenyan Abel Kipsang (3:29.89) closely missed out on a medal in the event.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Men’s 1500 Metres (Final Status/Top 10)
Rank | Athlete | Country | Time |
1 | Josh Kerr | Great Britain & Northern Ireland | 3:29.38 (SB) |
2 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | 3:29.65 |
3 | Narve Gilje Nordås | Norway | 3:29.68 |
4 | Abel Kipsang | Kenya | 3:29.89 |
5 | Yared Nuguse | United States | 3:30.25 |
6 | Mario García | Spain | 3:30.26 |
7 | Cole Hocker | United States | 3:30.70 (PB) |
8 | Reynold Cheruiyot | Kenya | 3:30.78 |
9 | Neil Gourley | Great Britain & Northern Ireland | 3:31.10 |
10 | Niels Laros | Netherlands | 3:31.25 (NR) |
(NOTE: SB = Season Best; NR = National Record; PB = Personal Best)
What did Josh Kerr say?
Josh Kerr is in relief with the gold medal.
Kerr said after winning the Championship crown, “I’ve been in four major championship finals and I’ve come away with only a bronze, so I knew it was my time to come away [with gold], and when you’re the underdog you come out and take what’s yours and you’re not handed anything. It’s a long, long road to get here and it’s just so surreal to be in this position and I’m enjoying every moment of it.”
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