JOSH KERR was stunned at the line by American outsider Cole Hocker as Britain’s world champion had to settle for 1,500m silver.
Kerr, the 26-year-old world champion from Edinburgh, set a personal best and won his personal grudge match with reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
WOW!!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 6, 2024
USA's Cole Hocker just shredded the script! He's taken gold with GB's Josh Kerr in silver. Jakob Ingebrigtsen dropped to fourth!#BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/TgAigLmcD0
Yet despite seeming to time his run to perfection, overtaking the Norwegian leader down the final straight, he was shocked by a late burst from Hocker, the 23-year-old from Indiana who smashed the Olympic record to take gold.
Ingebrigtsen failed to even make the podium as another American, Yared Nuguse pipped him to bronze.
Kerr’s best-ever time of 3min 27.79sec will be little consolation after Hocker’s shocker.
A bronze medalist in Tokyo three years ago, Kerr upgraded to silver but could never have imagined the identity of the winner.
The build-up had all been about Kerr versus his viking rival.
Scotland’s shade-runner, who runs in sunglasses and golden shoes, barely disguises his enmity for Ingebrigtsen.
Ingebrigtsen had been overtaken by Scotsmen in the final half a lap at the last two World Championships – by Jake Wightman in Eugene in 2022 and by Kerr in Budapest last year.
While it hadn’t quite got to the levels of boxing trash talk, the rivalry has been spikier than the soles of their running shoes.
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The Olympics can all be a bit too nicey-nicey. A shiny medal for second place, goodwill to all men and slaps on the back for those missing out on the podium.
Not for Kerr and Ingebrigtsen. Winning is everything for these two. In fact, simply beating the other bloke would probably.
Commentator Steve Cram suggested that the pair’s rivalry may have cost each other in the race.
He said: “Kerr did his best but in trying to go with Ingebritsen, Ingebritsen trying to run away from Kerr.
“The two of them, I think, destroyed each other.”
Athletics doesn’t throw up too many great grudge matches but the world champion and the Olympic champion genuinely dislike each other.
This is a metric mile with bile.
When Kerr set a world record for two miles indoors, Ingebrigtsen claimed he could have beaten it blindfolded when fully fit.
Not since the vikings used to pop over for a spot of pillaging had there been so much Norwegian rudeness towards the Brits.
Kerr has admonished his foe for bad manners and, after being narrowly beaten in the semi-final, the Scot promised the most ‘vicious’ 1,500m for years.
Ingebrigtsen had also referred to Kerr as ‘the Brit who never competes’ because of his infrequent appearances on the Diamond League circuit.
Ingebrigtsen usually hangs back early on but made an early bolt for the front and stayed there until the final straight when Kerr surged past him.
But Hocker bolted through on the inside to seize gold by a margin of just 0.14secs.
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