How Glasgow’s hometown hero Josh Kerr is relishing his battle for Commonwealth gold after shattering fastest mile world record, writes NIK SIMON… as Georgia Hunter-Bell cruises to 800m glory
Step off the train at Glasgow Central and one of the first things you see is an enormous billboard of Josh Kerr.
It is a giant image of the hometown hero, letting out a cathartic roar after he shattered the world record for the men’s outdoor mile two weeks ago.
Scotland expects their 28-year-old runner to win gold but this weekend’s big-ticket race promises to be the highest quality showdown of these scaled-down Games.
It is the first time the mile has featured for 60 years – having been replaced by the 1,500 metres – and organisers hope it will stir up memories of the historic duel between Roger Bannister and John Landy.
Kerr faces world class opposition. Former world champion Jake Wightman – also of Scotland – defending Commonwealth champion Oliver Hoare and breakthrough star Cameron Myers complete a formidable field.
‘I thrive in a pressure environment,’ said Kerr, who turned his bedroom into an altitude chamber before breaking the record.
Josh Kerr set a new world record for the fastest mile – with a time of 3mins and 42.66secs
Scotland expects their 28-year-old star to win gold at the Commonwealth Games this weekend
‘I want as much pressure on me as possible. I’m here to show up and get a gold medal for Scotland, and hopefully we can put more people on the podium than just me.
‘I think the other Scottish guys are looking great, and Jake’s run an awesome kilometre, so I’m just happy to be rubbing shoulders with these guys again and going after the big medals.’
The conditions at Scotstoun will be a far cry from the perfect settings Kerr enjoyed for his world-record run. There will be no pacemakers and the Scottish weather is unpredictable. It will be a tactical battle of pacing, positioning and the final kick.
‘It is very different to go from racing a clock to racing these guys – these are some of the best milers in the world,’ added Kerr. ‘Just trying to battle against them and try to win at my tactical battle.
‘It’s going to be a war out there. It’s the home crowd, it’s our track, it’s where we learnt, it’s our crowd. The rest of the guys want to take what’s ours. They will have to come with something because they are not going to get it easy.’
Kerr trained at Scotstoun as a teenager and also watched his older brother, Jake, play rugby there for Edinburgh against Glasgow Warriors. Fellow Scot Wightman is also familiar with the surroundings and believes the headline event can provide the moment of the Games.
‘I looked down every single start list of the track events and there are so many missing every other event,’ said Wightman. ‘When you look at ours, there’s not one person you probably could have added into this to make it any stronger.
‘The irony is that I think every event you’d say that the European field would be harder than the Commonwealth; whereas ours the Commonwealth is so much harder than the European one. It will bring the whole world’s attention onto it.
‘I think sometimes the Commonwealths get stuck in our bubble of nations that are competing and you speak to Americans sometimes and they haven’t even heard of it; whereas I feel like there’s enough interest in the mile, especially after what Josh did.
It is the first time the mile has featured for 60 years – having been replaced by the 1,500 metres – and the race promises to be the highest quality showdown of these scaled-down Games
‘I think there’s going to be a big audience around the world tuning in for this, which would be cool for the legacy of Commonwealth and for an event that seemed like it might not keep happening just because of the funding and who’s going to pick it up.
‘I think if we can put on a good show on Saturday it’s a real good thing for Commonwealth sport in the future. If we can write headlines because it’s an amazing race and there’s something really good to see then maybe it will help keep pushing the Commonwealths to get back to where it should be.’
Hunter-Bell cruises to 800m glory
As tears streamed down her face on the podium, Georgia Hunter Bell reflected on her journey from office job to gold medallist.
She became England’s first 800 metres champion at the Commonwealth Games Diane Edwards won in 1990.
Hunter Bell beat Kenyan world champion Lilian Odira, dominating the field with a time of 1min 59.81secs.
The 32-year-old was competing in Parkrun events during Covid lockdown but this was her sixth medal since she quit her job in cyber security two years ago.
Georgia Hunter-Bell was streets ahead of her rivals as she claimed gold in Glasgow
‘It was very emotional,’ she said. ‘I know lots of people reflect on being a kid – doing it for the kid version of themself. I more think of the young woman version of myself who was 23 or 24 and really gave up and didn’t know what she was doing with her life. I feel sorry for that girl and then I feel proud of making it through that and coming back here.
‘Glasgow is very special to me because it was after the Glasgow indoor championships that I decided to quit my job. I came fourth then and it showed me that I was good but I had to make a lifestyle change.’
With Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson not competing in Glasgow, Hunter Bell seized her opportunity.
She led the race from the starting gun, before charging clear in the final 200m.
‘I felt calm,’ she said. ‘I really feel like I was composed. The race didn’t go to plan. I did not think I would lead it for the whole thing. I wanted to lead with like 200 to go, but I found myself at the front, so I thought I’ll just control it, keep it relaxed, not too fast, and then when I feel that pressure on me with the move being made, I’ll be ready to go.’
