Kerr World Lead; Butchart for London 10K; GAA Sprints

Tuesday 18th April 2017

Josh Kerr took another huge leap forward over the weekend with a superb 1500m performance which met the standards for the World Champs in London and the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast 2018.

Fresh from success at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the New Mexico University student took his running to a new level when winning the Bryan Clay Invitational 1500 metres at Azusa, California.

Going into the meeting with a best 1500 time of 3:41.08, he convincingly won the race in a world-leading 3:35.99, over a second ahead of the runner-up and a time that places him 6th on the Scottish all-time lists.

In a race that featured professional runners from Bowerman Track Club in Ryan Hill and Mo Ahmed, as well as top NCAA athletes like Craig Engels and Joshua Thompson, it was Josh who led the way, running the sixth fastest collegiate mark all-time in 3:35.99.

That also took the Edinburgh AC athlete to sixth in the Scottish all-time list for the 1500m.

With thanks to Arnold Black

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Andrew Butchart is set to return to the streets of London in May to race in the Vitality Westminster Mile the day before defending the Vitality London 10K title he won last year at the start of an unforgettable season.

The Scot went on to finish sixth in the 5000m at the Rio Olympic Games but had demonstrated his fine form and fitness earlier on in the year when he secured an impressive victory at the Vitality London 10,000 in 28:28 less than 24 hours after finishing a narrow second in the Vitality Westminster Mile.

Attributing his breakthrough to a bold move the previous winter, Butchart said: ‘I wanted to go on a training camp with some other elite athletes in November 2015.

‘I asked my boss to get time off and she wouldn’t give it to me, so I just left. From then I got picked up by a sponsor and started going for it 100 per cent.

‘For athletes in a similar position, they need to step up to the plate. Up and coming athletes need to believe in themselves and have the faith they can make the jump to the big time.’