Josh Kerr (runner)
Josh Kerr (born 8 October 1997) is a Scottish middle-distance runner who competes primarily in the 1500 metres. He is the 2023 world champion, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist in the event. 

He won the gold medal at the 2015 European Junior Championships, and represented Great Britain at the 2017 World Championships but did not reach the semifinals.

Josh’s older brother, Jake Kerr, played international rugby for Scotland.

Career
During the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Kerr claimed the bronze medal in his specialist event after posting a personal best time of 3m 29.05s, narrowly missing out on silver.

On 27 February 2022, he set an unofficial European mile indoor record (the third fastest mark of all time in the world at the time), and 1500 m and mile British and Scottish indoor records to claim victory at the Boston University Last Chance Meet. With his time of 3:48.87 and 1500 m split of 3:32.86 en route, he broke Eamonn Coghlan's European mile record dating back to 1983, and two Peter Elliott's UK bests, which were set in 1990.

On 23 August 2023, Kerr defeated Norwegian favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the final of the 1500 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. It was the second successive World Championship where Ingebrigtsen was upset in the final of the 1500 metres by an athlete from Edinburgh Athletic Club, following teammate and compatriot Jake Wightman's victory in Eugene in 2022.

International competitions

Personal bests
Information taken from World Athletics profile.

 800 metres – 1:45.35 (Azusa, CA 2019)
 800 metres indoor – 1:46.64 (Spokane, WA 2022)
 1500 metres – 3:29.05 (Tokyo 2021) ( Scottish)
 1500 metres indoor – 3:32.86 (Boston, MA 2022)
 One mile – 3:53.88 (London 2019)
 One mile indoor – 3:48.87 (Boston, MA 2022) ( Scottish) #4th fastest of all time
 3000 metres – 8:35.15 (Bedford 2014)
 3000 metres indoor – 7:33.47 (New York, NY 2023) ( Scottish)
 5000 metres – 13:23.78  (Irvine, CA 2021)

References

External links

 
 
 
 

1997 births
Living people
Scottish male middle-distance runners
World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain
Sportspeople from Edinburgh
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
New Mexico Lobos men's track and field athletes
Olympic athletes for Great Britain
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Scottish Olympic medallists
Commonwealth Games competitors for Scotland
Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
World Athletics Championships winners