Paris 2024: Josh Kerr full of confidence for Olympics tilt after World Athletics Indoor Championships gold
BySportsbeat
Updated 03/03/2024 at 17:55 GMT
Scotland's Josh Kerr was a late addition to the men's 3000m field at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow but he ran a perfect race to add world indoor gold to his 1500m outdoor title from last year. The next aim for Kerr is to make a splash at Paris 2024. The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com.
Josh Kerr is celebrating winning gold with the Saltire during the 2024 World Athletics Championships at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 2, 2024.
Image credit: Getty Images
All roads lead to the Paris Olympics for Josh Kerr following his win in the 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
The reigning world outdoor 1500m champion lived up to his pre-championship billing as one of the world's best athletes with a storming performance, powering past defending champion Selemon Barega late on to finish in 7:42.98.
The run is another addition to Kerr's sparkling repertoire in the past year following his world gold in Budapest and further cements his status as one of the likely stars of the Paris Olympics this summer.
Kerr received the biggest roar of the night on appearance but he revealed he blocked out the noise to put on a show for the home crowd and become the first Scottish world champion indoors in over three decades.
"I think I've burned more energy celebrating than I did in the race," he said. "These competitions are so important. I feel like I've let the UK audience down a little bit for how I've performed over the last five years in front of them.
"It was absolutely bedlam, it was brilliant. That's what Scotland brings, that's what the UK crowd brings, it is a knowledgeable crowd and I hope they are excited about athletics.
"I think we are in a really good spot with our athletes right now, we have people who are ready to go out and win major medals, it is just awesome to be a part of.
"I was holding onto something for a long time and I knew I had great kickers behind me, so I needed to make sure that I was focused and kept something for the last 50m.
"I actually came in here without a solid plan for the first time. I didn't want to act emotionally out there. I really wanted to send it with 400m to go.
"It's unbelievable and this has been the loudest I've heard in a stadium. It was an emotional day out there and I just tried to have a plan.
"My training might not be the most amazing videos but I put the hard work in and I send it. I'm ok with the result whatever it is. Shout out to my whole team."
Kerr made a last-minute decision to compete in Glasgow, with the 26-year-old weighing up risk and reward as he trains his focus on the ultimate goal of Olympic gold in Paris this summer.
But the Edinburgh-born runner needed under eight minutes to be fully vindicated, as he sent the home crowd into raptures with a superbly controlled run.
It never looked like he was troubled. Even when Barega and fellow Ethiopian Getnet Wale took the race out from the front, Kerr was happy to sit in the middle of the pack.
This was a level of experience that comes with Kerr's rising star, with the Scot slowly closing in on his prey before pouncing late on to produce a box-office finish perfectly in tune with his growing reputation as a showman on the track, sunglasses and all.
"I am not someone that loves to race a lot," he added. "But when I am good to go, I feel really excited and ready to go, I watch a lot of races, I do a lot of analysis.
"If you are a good runner and you are a champion in the mindset, you can run pretty much any distance.
"I had to be really calm early on because it is 15 laps and if my heart rate is racing when I walk out it is difficult to hold onto for a while but I tried to keep a calm head, keep the heart rate low and just make strong, smart decisions.
"I had a lot of mantras today but the biggest one is just staying calm and if I trust my instinct, I am going to make good decisions.
"I trusted what I knew I could do, I tried to make sure I wasn't turning around, wasting any energy and stay on my feet.
"With 100 to go nobody was going to beat me, I felt really confident I had another gear, lifting the knees, pumping the arms and I knew could get to the finish line pretty quick.
"We are going to take it performance by performance and hopefully that continues to make me available for that gold medal.
"Behind the scenes I am putting the hard work in physically and mentally, that's my process and hopefully it keeps you guys excited.
"I have got some fun races coming up that will keep you guys excited head-to-head-wise and I am going to continue to keep the light alive in this sport.
"The 1500m is my love and I can't wait to get back and race it."
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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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