Jibes fail to rattle Josh
JOSH Kerr was as cool as can be as he stormed through to the Olympic 1500m semi-final and brushed off rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s latest jibe.
The 26-year-old finished fastest from the first of three heats in 3:35.83 to book his place in tomorrow evening’s semis on an afternoon that also saw all three of Great Britain’s women, including European champion Dina Asher Smith, qualify from their 100m heats on the first day of track and field action at Stade de France.
Kerr, who beat the Norwegian to the world title in 2023, was aware of – but utterly unfazed by – comments made by Ingebrigtsen, the reigning Olympic champion, who speaking to his country’s media on Thursday said of the Scotsman: “It is difficult to refer to him as a rival when he is never there. He is known as the Brit who never competes.”
But Kerr, a bear who refused to be poked, said: “I’ve heard. I would like to be defined in my career at the end of it, (and) I think I’m just getting started.
“Hopefully that’s medals, fast times and fun battles head-to-heads. Everyone can have their own opinions, I have absolutely no problems with that, and I will hopefully be able to be remembered for something slightly different than that.”
I would like to be defined in my career at the end of it, (and) I think I’m just getting started. Josh Kerr
World Athletics president Lord Coe on Thursday branded Kerr and Ingebrigsten’s showdown as a potential “race for the ages”.
Ingebrigtsen, like Kerr, only needed to finish in the top six to advance, and made it through third in the final and slowest of the three heats, crossing the line in 3:37.04.
He has been critical of Kerr’s choice to limit his time on the track, the Edinburgh athlete racing just twice since he beat Ingebrigtsen the last time they shared a start line, in the mile at the Eugene Diamond League meeting in May. Both of Kerr’s subsequent appearances were at 800m, the heats and final of June’s British championships. Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita and Imani-Lara Lansiquot all made it through to today’s semis, Neita’s season’s best 10.92 seconds good enough for the third-fastest of all the finishers from the heats, while Asher-Smith finished in 11.01 and Lansiquot in 11.10 on the electric lavender track.
Asher-Smith said: “Tokyo was was strange for many, many reasons. And I think Paris, being with with a full crowd, and being only an hour or an hour or so away from the UK is really special.
“There are so many British fans in the crowd. It really made my heart warm.”