‘Double Olympic medallist stat feels awesome’ – Josh Kerr

Wednesday 4th September 2024

Josh silver as becomes first Scot to win medals at back-to-back Olympics

Josh Kerr made a flying visit back to his Edinburgh AC roots and marvelled at his burgeoning iconic – and historic – status within the athletics community in Scotland.

A silver medal at Paris 2024 followed up his Tokyo bronze and ensured the 1500m runner becomes the first Scot in track and field to win medals at two different Olympic Games.

It is an accolade for Josh to cherish but already he has thoughts about a hat-trick in Los Angeles in 2028.

‘Yes, once that podium place happened you do start to look at the history and the stats,’ he told Scottish Athletics in a special interview at Meadowbank.

‘To be the first ever Scot in track and field to win medals at two different Olympic Games is a nice accolade for sure. That’s an awesome stat for me.

‘One more medal across the Men’s 1500m in the Olympics would I believe be unprecedented and be the most anyone has ever had in that distance.

‘So I am trying to push Scotland into a really good spot and hopefully we can come away with a gold medal next time in Los Angeles. I am looking for the full set.’

Kerr had set his heart on winning the Olympics but American Cole Hocker took gold with the Scot breaking the British Record (held by Mo Farah) in the Stade de France.

‘The silver medal is a physical representation of where I am at in my career,’ he reflected.

‘I am still battling to be the best 1500m runner in the world and so not coming away with a gold at the Olympics was tough in that regard.

‘But it was a great race, the fastest 1500m in history and it was the fastest 1500m ever by a British athlete.

‘So I have to take the positives. I have to roll through and onwards and this is not the finish line. It has been another chapter in the story at this point.’

Josh was at Meadowbank on Monday to help with training sessions and talk to young athletes. There may have been a selfie of three. And that was just the coaches.

‘It is always really important for me to come back to Edinburgh AC,’ he said.

‘I was welcomed back with the best weather that Edinburgh and Scotland can offer but we still had a great night.

‘This was home for me for the first ten or 12 years of my career and I like to make sure people know they are appreciated.

‘I help when I can in showing younger athletes coming through now that there is a pathway in athletics in Scotland.

‘It’s the same people coaching but the Meadowbank facility is much nicer than the one I trained in a few years ago growing up!’

Asked about the impact of support across the Scottish athletics community at Paris 2024, he said: ‘You have to switch off from a lot of things at an Olympic Games, like your own social media and other social media. But in the build-up you definitely feel the excitement you would expect at a global champs.

‘There were a lot of British and Scottish flags in the Stade de France so I knew there was great support.

‘I definitely felt the backing and since Paris finished I’ve become more aware of how much folk back home enjoyed it and savoured it.’