Josh Kerr is adamant that the men’s 1500m world title will remain in British hands despite being humbled by Kenyan 18-year-old Phanuel Koech at London Stadium
Josh Kerr promised the world 1500m title will remain in British hands come September after Kenyan kid Phanuel Koech stunned the London Stadium.
Reigning champion Kerr could not match the finishing kick of Koech, 18, as the latest breakthrough star clocked 3:28.82 in what had been billed as a Battle of the Brits.
And while it meant a deflating end in front of a sell-out crowd at the Olympic Park, Kerr and fellow Scot Jake Wightman, the 2022 champion, insisted there is no need to panic two months out from Tokyo.
Koech has only appeared on the global radar in the past month having run a world under-20 record 3:27.72 in Paris on June 20.
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And Kerr, who claims not to follow the progress of his competitors too closely, joked that the teen first entered his mind when he appeared with 100m to go.
But confident Kerr sounded a rallying cry after by saying: “The title lives here and it will continue to live here for the next year. I’m not a big nerd of this sport. People come and go. People catch fire a little bit in races.
“I really wanted to show up and win for this crowd but all I can guarantee and promise to them now is I will come back in a few months time and I will be battling for a gold medal for this country. I’ll bring it home and then everyone can see what we were working towards today.”
George Mills, who has been in impressive form, led at the bell but was tripped with 200m to go, while Wightman finished well for fourth place and is gaining confidence heading into the trials on August 2 after putting a difficult spell with injury behind him.
Morgan Lake won her first ever Diamond League high jump by succeeding over 1.96m to surprise a field containing world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
Olympic 100m champ Noah Lyles, lining up for the first time over the distance this season following “a freak injury”, was a distant second to Oblique Seville.
Jamaican Seville eased up to celebrate with a salute while running 9.86secs and described his performance as “something special and phenomenal”
Top Brit Zharnel Hughes was third in 10.02 and was less buoyant in his assessment. “It was an average performance today, but I am not going to beat myself up about it,” he said. “I have just got to keep trusting myself and my progress.”
Earlier Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi won a dramatic men’s 800m in 1:42.00. Canada’s Marco Arop looked on track to break David Rudisha’s iconic world record set on this track 13 years ago coming off the final bend only to fade slightly as Wanyonyi squeezed through on the inside.