Britain’s Josh Kerr wins stunning 1500m gold at World Championships after timing his final surge to perfection to beat Norway’s middle-distance king Jakob Ingebrigsten

Josh Kerr produced the race of his life and dramatically claimed gold in the men’s 1,500 meters at the World Championships in Athletics in Budapest.

The 25-year-old shrugged off the challenge from Norway’s middle distance king Jakob Ingebrigsten on the biggest night of his career to ensure Jake Wightman’s gold at the event last year stays on Britain’s shores.

“It took a long time,” admitted an ecstatic Kerr. “It’s a pretty overwhelming experience. But I am so proud of myself, my team and my family. They brought me here.

“I also didn’t feel like I was running my best race. I put the whole sixteen years of this sport into those last 200 meters and I didn’t give up until the end.”

What was so striking about Kerr’s win was its resemblance to the way Wightman knocked down Ingrebrigsten in Oregon last summer.

Kerr employed the exact same plan that saw his Edinburgh Athletics Club teammate take victory by attacking the Olympic gold medalist with 200 meters to go.

As on that occasion, Ingrebrigsten had no answer for the Briton’s genius.

“I fought pretty hard with Jakob,” said Kerr. “You can see from my face that I threw everything I had at this man. We were both fighting. I wanted this all my life.

“I looked at the screen and didn’t see anyone coming and I made sure to pump all the way home. I am so happy.’

Ahead of these games, Kerr had spoken of his dream of emulating Wightman’s success at the 2022 championships. The now former world title holder was unable to defend his crown in Budapest due to an injury.

Yet few expected him to go to great lengths to follow his compatriot’s example. Kerr chose to wear the exact same red, white and blue vest that Wightman donned to his win last summer.

An attempt to psyche out his opponent, hoping this would unnerve Ingrebrigsten? Who knows if such mind games would make a tangible difference in a World Cup final.

But maybe it was the extra ingredient Kerr needed to outdo the great Norwegian.

Ingrebrigsten is the master of the pace and after starting at the back of the field he gently made his way to the front of the pack. He hoped the whole world would be in complete control as he took the bell for the final lap in the lead.

But Kerr was hot on his heels. Maybe hotter than Ingrebrigsten realized. And maybe with a little more fuel, a little more fire and a little more desire than a man who has yet to win a world title would normally have.

That changed last night during what will be regarded as one of Britain’s greatest successes at these Championships, whatever happens during the last four days of action.

Braveheart Kerr maneuvered himself into position as the final turn approached and launched his siege on Ingebrigsten.

From there and with the Hungarian crowd cheering him on as if he were one of their winners, Kerr pedaled to the finish to claim a memorable win in 3:29.38.

Gold here for Kerr eclipses the Olympic bronze medal he won at the Tokyo Games in 2021. There was no chance he would ever let it out of his grasp either.

“With fifty yards to go I kind of broke him,” said Kerr. “It was just about keeping form at that point. I’ve had bronze, but gold is much sweeter.’

Wightman, who watched from the stadium as he commented for the BBC, could hardly contain his pride. ‘It stays with the Edinburgh Athletics Club,’ he said. ‘Our little club in Edinburgh has had successive world champions… it’s hard to believe. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is going to hate us Brits, isn’t he?’

Yes, he will, because last night it turned out that history can repeat itself after all. But this time there’s a new Brit with 1,500 yards of gold around his neck. That man is Josh Kerr, world champion.