Kerr Takes 1500m Silver With British Record 3:27.79

Josh Kerr won Olympic silver in the men's 1500m at Paris 2024, crossing the line in a British record of 3:27.79. He upgraded the bronze he had taken in Tokyo three years earlier.

A move on the final bend, undone in the last straight

The final was staged at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 6 August 2024. Defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen led from the front for most of the race, drawing the field along behind him.

Kerr timed his surge for the final bend and swept past Ingebrigtsen into the lead. But America's Cole Hocker came up the inside in the closing metres and took gold in an Olympic record of 3:27.65. Kerr held on for second, just 0.14 seconds back.

Four men, half a second, one of the fastest fields ever

The depth of the race was rare. Yared Nuguse took bronze in 3:27.80, a hundredth behind Kerr, while Ingebrigtsen faded to fourth in 3:28.24. The top four were separated by less than half a second.

The silver adds to a growing collection for the Scot. He is the reigning world 1500m champion from Budapest 2023, where he out-kicked Ingebrigtsen, and world indoor champion over 3000m from Glasgow.

In Tokyo he claimed Britain's first men's Olympic 1500m medal since 1988. In Paris he moved a step higher, and the British record now belongs to him.

For Josh Kerr, the Paris final was a race decided in the final strides, and a mark he leaves on the record books on his way through a busy career.