Josh Kerr was beaten to a gold medal in a stunning final stretch of the Team GB star’s 1500-metre race at the Olympics. Much of the pre-race narrative centred around the 26-year-old’s bitter rivalry with Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen but they were both beaten in a surprise twist.
American runner Cole Hocker recorded an Olympic record with a remarkable finish of 3:27.65. Kerr had promised a ‘vicious’ battle with Ingebrigtsen and the duo may have focused too hard on trying to out-run each other.
The Norwegian burst into the lead and at times peered around his shoulder to locate Kerr behind him. When Kerr overtook him in the final 100m, Ingebrigtsen allowed too much room to his left, with Hocker taking full advantage.
In turn, Kerr expended too much effort in racing beyond his rival and bursting towards the finish line. Hocker had all the momentum over a depleted Kerr and managed to cross the finish in Olympic-record time.
Kerr’s race time of 3:27.79 was his own personal best and he took plenty of pride in his run. An extremely tight photo finish ensured he came second ahead of the American Yared Nuguse by a mere millisecond. Nuguse’s bronze ensured two American medals in the event.
Ingebrigtsen’s fourth-placed finish might provide some solace to Kerr. The 23-year-old, who might regret trying to set a very fast pace early on, once claimed he could beat Kerr blindfolded. It is just one of many jibes shared between the two athletes during their fight for gold medals around the world.
Questioned on his tactics by the BBC, Ingebrigtsen said: “My plan was to win. Didn’t go according to plan but I felt very strong in the first couple of laps and that’s why I had difficulty telling the pace because it was quite fast.
“It was difficult to slow down and kind of reduce myself a little bit. I was starting to get a little bit of gap so kept on pushing but it was just 100m too long today.
“The guys behind me, finishing in front of me did a great race. It’s not always easy to spend your energy wisely but I felt strong and of course not the result I wanted.”
Meanwhile, Kerr concluded: “I can’t walk away from the championship disappointed. I’ve said what my goals were, it was obvious. I’ve run the fastest 1500m of my life. It’s not the colour of medal I want but it’s working towards it – from bronze to silver.”
