Josh Kerr is the entertainer athletes need at the World Indoor Championships

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Josh Kerr has never lacked confidence, but now he’s full of it.

He is the reigning world champion in the 1500m, having won a sensational gold medal in Budapest last August. He just broke the indoor two-mile world record at the Millrose Games in New York, a feat he had predicted beforehand, and in December he ran a half marathon in San Diego in an obscene time of 61 minutes, 51 seconds. Established. In between, he found time to expose Jakob Ingebrigsen’s weaknesses on his podcast, adding fuel to a rivalry that will be one of the most fascinating storylines at this summer’s Paris Olympics.

It’s no surprise that the Scottish track and field superstar is relishing his role as poster boy for this weekend’s World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. There has been speculation for weeks about whether he would make the long trip from his Seattle training base to play here. A number of high-profile British players are absent, including Dina Asher-Smith and Keeley Hodgkinson, who have chosen to focus on preparing for Paris. But Kerr felt this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“I think it’s an honor,” Kerr says of being the team’s natural figurehead. “I think there’s an element of having to go and get it. I don’t think we’ve made the English fans this proud in the last few years. [Kerr finished 12th at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham] So it’s really exciting to be back in such good shape and ready to chase a world title in my home country. I feel that’s what the British fans deserve from me. ”

As a world championship medalist, Kerr automatically qualified for the indoor world championships, but he doesn’t want to parachute in and replace his teammates, who have worked hard to qualify. That’s what I felt. Given the progress of 25-year-olds Adam Fogg and Callum Elson, that policy ruled him out of the 1500m run – “There were a few guys there that I thought deserved to go,” Kerr says. –That’s why he chose this race. 3,000 meters instead.

The competition is tougher, the distances are longer, and a few years ago Kerr probably wouldn’t have been among the favorites to win against steeplechasers and endurance specialists. That includes reigning champion Selemon Barega of Ethiopia and U.S. champion Yared Nguse, who could be Kerr’s rival in the 1,500 meters in Paris.

But Kerr is typically bullish about his chances. “Look, I’m in great shape. I clearly showed that at Millrose and I think whoever’s on the 3km start list will be a big problem. We’ve got Nguse too, and he’s in the mid-20s for 7 seconds. There are some very competitive Ethiopians who have proven they can run, so I thought it would be a great race and that’s why I signed up. I didn’t sign up to win easily. I ran in front of a home crowd at the World Championships. I signed up to take part in a hard race.”

Ingebrigtsen will not be one of those opponents in Glasgow as he recovers from an Achilles injury. They have not raced since the World Championship final in Budapest. It was a night when Kerr tactically defeated a battered Ingebrigtsen, but that didn’t stop them from yelling abuse. Kerr recently shot down the Norwegian’s strategy in the following interview. Sunday broadcastsaid Inglevigtsen was “surrounded by yes-men” and did not understand his “big weaknesses.”

Asked if Ingebrigtsen needed to run more races without a pacemaker to improve her tactical acumen, Kerr replied: he Ego has a pretty high stake in this matter, so I’d like him to hear this. ”

Ingebrigtsen responded that she could break Kerr’s new two-mile indoor record “blindfolded.” All of this adds a bit of spice to middle-distance running that can only be beneficial to track and field, and the sport can sometimes feel like it’s still coming into its own in the post-Bolt era. We need new characters, new stories. Kerr’s rivalry with Ingebrigtsen is certainly one of them, and he knows it.

“There’s a little bit of banter going on, and I think it’s entertaining for some people,” Kerr says with a hint of a smile. “I don’t really have a filter, which sometimes doesn’t lend itself well to interviews, so you’ll probably find me saying things a little harshly here and there. Don’t be shy, I’m a pretty honest real person so these are my thoughts that usually come out unfiltered. I’m not afraid to voice my opinion.”

Do they share strange messages privately? “I’m not saying that specifically. He’s obviously a great guy and a big name in our sport, so he gets a lot of attention.” And those are questions that people want to ask me from time to time. I give honest answers and reviews, and I think he does the same. I don’t think it cuts too deep on either end. I don’t have any ill will toward him. But I’m a competitive guy and I want to win, so sometimes that manifests in other ways. But I think he’s in a similar situation. Major. I think we’ll be racing a few times before we get to the championships, so it should be a great and exciting year for everyone watching.”

Kerr’s sheer dedication to his craft ultimately transformed him from a competitive professional athlete to someone who could defeat world-class athletes like Ingebrigtsen and become a world champion himself. . His decision to relocate to the West Coast of the United States six years ago to work with coach Danny McKee has paid off in spades. The 26-year-old now employs three full-time staff, including a chef who will support him at the height of his career.

Since last summer’s world title, he has avoided any shock or strain, not missing a single day of training due to injury or illness, and forced himself to do a few hard runs on Christmas Day. There was even. That’s another factor in Kerr’s current great form. “Consistency is my biggest weapon,” he says. “I tell any athlete how consistently I train and just put in the work. I don’t feel like I’m doing anything, or anything too special. I just take it day by day.”

He had been training his long-distance endurance all winter ahead of his two-mile world record. There he recorded a time of 8 minutes 0.67 seconds, breaking Mo Farah’s long-held record by nearly three seconds. Farrar’s name is still etched on almost every British outdoor record, from 1500m to the marathon, and Kerr now has his sights set on some of them.

“I was just texting some of Farah’s team saying, ‘There’s a reason the record lasted this long, and it was incredibly hard.’ I’m following Farah’s record. Obviously, he’s done a great job for our sport and it’s really great to take a record away from someone like him. And this is the last record I’m going to take away from him this year. I hope not. But you know, there’s a lot of work to do before that happens.”

Kerr admitted it was “tough on my body” to set the two-mile world record, completing hard laps around the compact, curvy indoor track. He recuperated for four days doing “easy running” before flying from Seattle to Scotland last week. So he began nine days of sea level training to fight off his jet lag in preparation for the Glasgow Championships. “If things don’t go my way, I have no excuses,” he says.

Kerr is enjoying spending time with his family this week and is excited to perform in front of his home fans. But his goals are clear and his confidence is unwavering.

“Win. I can do it and I’m in great shape. “Easier said than done…but I’m focused on winning gold for the team and hopefully for the home crowd. I hope that by winning a gold medal in front of them, I can inspire the right people to carry on our tradition.”