Josh Kerr has British indoor mile record in his sights

Olympic bronze medallist might threaten Peter Elliott’s long-standing mark within the Wanamaker Mile on the 114th Millrose Video games on Saturday

In Tokyo final 12 months Josh Kerr grew to become the primary British athlete since Peter Elliott in 1988 to win an Olympic medal within the males’s 1500m and now, within the Millrose Video games in New York on Saturday (Jan 29), he has an opportunity of breaking the Yorkshireman’s long-standing UK indoor document for the mile.

Elliott’s mark of three:52.02 was set at East Rutherford in 1990, a few years after he received Olympic 1500m silver in Seoul and only a few days earlier than he captured the Commonwealth 1500m title in Auckland.

The Scottish document, in the meantime, is held by Chris O’Hare with 3:52.91 set in New York in 2016. Proper now, Kerr holds the third quickest time in historical past on the UK rankings with 3:53.65 from New York in 2019, but when every little thing goes properly on Saturday night time he might break one or each of these data.

If the tempo is super-fast, the runners may even get near Yomif Kejelcha’s world indoor document of three.47.01, set in Boston in 2019.

Firstly Kerr has to win the race, although, which received’t be simple. Rivals embrace Ollie Hoare, the Australian who was eleventh within the Olympic 1500m remaining final 12 months, plus People Craig Engels and Clayton Murphy.

Be careful for fast-improving American teenager Hobbs Kessler, too, whereas Nick Willis, who’s 20 years older at 38, is aiming to run a sub-four-minute mile for the twentieth straight 12 months (he narrowly missed the feat in an occasion a couple of weeks in the past on the stroke of the brand new 12 months).

Kerr will begin favorite, although, after clocking 3:29.05 to complete third behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Timothy Cheruiyot within the Olympic 1500m remaining in Tokyo. Again then Kerr wore Nike footwear, too, regardless of being a member of the Brooks Beasts group, however within the Millrose Video games this weekend he’ll race in new Brooks spikes for the primary time.

“I get pleasure from operating the mile right here,” says Kerr. “It’s a staple in my occasion calendar within the 12 months. It’s one of many craziest races you will discover. I decide my races fairly deliberately and after I decide a race I’m going to be match and need to win it.

“I’ve been doing base coaching by means of the winter,” he provides, on coaching beneath coach Danny Mackey. “I started including some speedwork in January to ensure we didn’t embarrass ourselves right here and we expect I’m in an excellent spot.”

The 114th Millrose Video games is happening for the primary time in nearly two years as a result of pandemic and is a part of the brand new World Indoor Tour (Gold) collection. For viewers within the UK it is going to be streamed stay too (see the underside of this text for the hyperlink) with the principle occasions 7.30-9.30pm GMT.

On the final occasion in 2020 the performances included Jemma Reekie breaking Laura Muir’s UK indoor 1500m and mile data, whereas O’Hare received the Wanamaker mile.

READ MORE: Reekie breaks Muir’s 1500m mark at 2020 Millrose Games

This weekend’s assembly seems each bit as thrilling with the lads’s 60m one of the crucial intriguing occasions on the programme.

It options the controversial return of Christian Coleman following an 18-month ban for breaking anti-doping guidelines referring to missed checks. The American holds the world indoor 60m document and the reigning world 100m champion is up towards the quickest man in 2021, Trayvon Bromell, plus world 200m champion Noah Lyles and Olympic 100m finalist Ronnie Baker.

Christian Coleman wins world indoor gold (Mark Shearman)

The ladies’s mile will probably be as hotly-anticipated as the lads’s race, largely as a result of entry of Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu after the American teen switched from the 800m to the longer distance. Comparatively untested over the mile and higher often called an 800/400m runner, she may have a tricky problem, although, as she faces Elle Purrier St Pierre, who ran 4:16.85 at Millrose two years in the past to interrupt the American document.

Certainly, the highest 4 from the US Trials 1500m – Purrier St Pierre, Cory McGee, Heather MacLean, Shannon Osika – are all set to race along with Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Australia Jessica Hull.

Elsewhere, 800m runner Donavan Brazier steps all the way down to 400m trying to revise his PB of 46.91 and beat 400m specialists resembling Vernon Norwood and Christopher Taylor within the course of.

Ryan Crouser, the Olympic shot put champion and world record-holder indoors and out, is the decide of the sector eventers as he opens his 2022 marketing campaign. The ladies’s pole vault can also be prime quality with Olympic champion Katie Nageotte taking over Sandi Morris amongst others.

Katie Nageotte (Mark Shearman)

Within the ladies’s lengthy bounce, Tara Davis takes on plenty of fellow US jumpers plus Britain’s Olympic finalist Jazmin Sawyers.

Cole Hocker, the US Olympic trials 1500m winner, tackles the 3000m towards fellow former NCAA champions like Geordie Beamish, Wesley Kiptoo, Cooper Teare, Conner Mantz, Mason Ferlic. Look out too for Britain’s Charles Hicks and James West, to not point out the proficient Drew Hunter and Nico Younger.

Within the ladies’s 3000m the European indoor champ Amy-Eloise Markovc of Britain opens her season with fellow Brit Holly Archer additionally within the subject.

Timetable and startlists – CLICK HERE

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