"Got beaten by a fitter athlete" - Josh Kerr shares true feelings after loss to Kenyan teen at London Diamond League

American runner Josh Kerr reacted to finishing second in the 1500m event at the London Diamond League meeting on 19th July. Kerr recorded a season-best time of 3:29.37, only just finishing behind Phanuel Koech of Kenya, who won the race with a time of 3:28.82.

This marked Kerr's first race since the Grand Slam Track in Miami and Philadelphia, which he competed in after being sidelined for three months due to a hip injury.

Kerr is regarded as one of the best middle-distance runners in the world. He competes mainly in the 1500m, making his breakthrough in the event at the Tokyo Olympics where he earned the bronze medal with a personal-best time of 3:29.05. Kerr also won gold at the 2023 World Championships where he defeated Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the process. He also holds the British-record for the 1500m with a time of 3:27.79, which he set at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Kerr reacted to his second-place finish in London, saying to FloTrack:

"Yeah definitely, I think going into these races I really want to win. That's the number one priority. I got beaten by a fitter athlete today, but running 3:29.37 is not bad. A couple months out from the World Championships, it's important to get these races in and go against the field like that. Not disappointed, but I wouldn't say I'm thrilled. We got some work to be done."

Josh Kerr placed first in the 1500m event at the Grand Slam Track events in Miami and Philadelphia. He also competed in the 800m event where he finished fifth.

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Josh Kerr on his mentality and where his drive comes from

Josh Kerr at a press conference ahead of the 2025 London Diamond League - Source: Getty

Josh Kerr recently discussed his mentality and where his drive comes from. While appearing on the Running Effect Podcast, he said: (5:10 onwards)

"There's room for all of it in the sport. You know, some people thrive on taking a bit more of a relaxed approach to things. And for me, I want to turn around at the end of my career and go, I got everything I could out of that. I really spent time and got curious with this sport and tried to figure out what my real strong points were, and I worked on those and that's the only way that you can leave the sport without regrets."

Kerr also shares an intense rivalry with Jakob Ingebrigtsen, facing off against the Norwegian on multiple occasions.

Edited by Tushar Bahl