Final chance for Neil and Josh – but Paris pain for Jemma

Sunday 4th August 2024

Photos Getty Images for British Athletics

Paris 2024 Results

Josh Kerr and Neil Gourley cruised into the Men’s 1500m final at the Olympics on Sunday night.

The two Scots will return to the Stade de France on Tuesday evening with the podium very much the target.

Josh never looked in any trouble as he came through in second place almost alongside Norwegian rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

And Neil, moments later and competing in his first Olympics at the age of 29, ran a typically smart race to always be in contention at the front and finish third – with the top six assured of qualification.

What a moment for our two men with a Scottish double in the Men 1500m final for the second successive Olympics after Josh and Jake Wightman in Tokyo.

‘The plan was to stay away from trouble and in the end it was a pretty standard 3:32 run to be honest,’ said Josh.

‘There’s no lane that makes any difference. I just needed to get top six today which almost easier qualification than the first round. I knew it was going to be a little faster, so I moved up the front early  and then it was just a simple day for me.

‘Fans should expect the most competitive 1500m the sport has seen in a long time. There’s been a lot of talking and words over the last few years, I’m looking to settle that on Tuesday and give it my best performance.’

Neil, too, was delighted with a qualification that he made look so straight-forward.

‘It felt pretty solid,’ said the Giffnock North AC athlete.

‘I wanted to get out quick as I knew there was a chance someone would want to take it on. Someone like Yared (Nuguse) who is strong like that, I’m glad he did.

‘When it is fast from the start like that, it makes it tactically quite simple. I just wanted to hold my ground and did.

‘I felt there was a decent chance of it (being fast) and someone like Yared who thought ‘I don’t want to leave this to a fast last 400m’ . So I kind of expected it to unfold that way.’

Earlier, Jemma Reekie lost out on a final place in the Women’s 800m semi-finals.

Jemma was in the second of three races with the top two and two more athletes to progress.

So a fifth place finish was not enough despite the fast time of 1:58.01 with the Scot having been very much in contention as she entered the home straight challenging for the lead.

But that all changed over the closing stages, unfortunately, and fast-finishing French and American athletes took places three and four with the race won by Glasgow 2024 champion, Tsige Duguma.

‘It was really tough, and I’m in the best shape of my life, but it’s the Olympics and so tough out there,’ said Jemma.

‘I was happy with the way I ran it but I’ll have to watch the race back and see what I can do better. Those girls came round very strong; everyone has raised their game for the Olympics.

‘I’ve built on things since a few weeks ago and training has gone really well. But we’re athletes at the end of the day and we’re not going to have a perfect day every day.

‘I ran it the way I wanted to and I think I ran it my way to give myself the best shot of a final.’

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Tags: Jemma Reekie, Josh Kerr, Neil Gourley, Olympics, Paris, Paris 2024