The much-anticipated men’s 1500m at the inaugural World Ultimate Championship lived entirely up to its billing, delivering a tactical thriller on the very track where Josh Kerr claimed his breakout global crown three years ago.
Mastering a swift early tempo set by Germany’s Robert Farken and a subsequent surge from America’s Yared Nuguse, Britain’s Kerr bided his time buried in the pack before unleashing a trademark devastating finish. The 28-year-old clocked 3:29.35, shaving 0.03 off his own Hungarian all-comers’ record, to hold off a fierce challenge from Australia’s Cam Myers and secure another global title.
“I didn’t race a lot this season so I kind of came here fresh and ready to go,” said Kerr, who utilized a blistering 26.02-second final 200m to seal the victory. “Cameron is an awesome athlete, he was pushing a lot but I managed to look at the screen and see what the gap was.”
Kerr also gave the new event a glowing endorsement, adding, “This sport has moved on in the past couple of years, and I’m impressed where it is now. Anything that can move the sport in the right direction and do good for athletes, I support.”
The race blew wide open when Nuguse injected a major surge with 500m remaining, leading the field through 1200m in 2:49.91. But Kerr smoothly navigated his way onto the shoulder of the leader with 300m to go, perfectly positioned to strike.
Myers tracked him tightly down the homestretch and gave everything but couldn’t match the Briton’s ultimate gear. Myers finished a close second in 3:29.68, with America’s Hobbs Kessler taking third in 3:30.74 ahead of Olympic champion Cole Hocker (3:30.74).
Despite missing out on the gold, Myers had zero regrets about his performance. “I ran the perfect race,” he said. “I thought with 200m to go that I was going to win and that is an exciting feeling. Josh was just too strong today and that shows why he is a world record-holder.”
The victory adds another prestigious medal to Kerr’s resume, complementing his 2023 outdoor world crown and his pair of world indoor 3000m titles.