Josh Kerr is hoping a golden Commonwealth Games mile, a world indoor title and a world record will finally be enough to earn a BBC Sports Personality of the Year nomination.
The 28-year-old Scot lit up Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday night by winning the men's mile for Scotland. It came two weeks after he ran the fastest time in history over the distance in London, putting his name alongside Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Roger Bannister.
Kerr was left off the SPOTY six-person shortlist in 2023 despite winning the world 1500m title, a decision that left him "massively disappointed" and prompted World Athletics president Coe to tweet: "are you having a laugh?"
SPOTY hopes
The two-time Olympic medallist began 2026 by claiming his third global crown, taking the 3000m title at the world indoor championships in Poland. He is now hoping the BBC's judging panel gives him the nod.
"I don't want to get my hopes up too early for this one, but I would love to. It would be an honour for me. Obviously there's been some fantastic sporting heroes for this year, with the Winter Olympics, with the World Cup, and all the rugby that's going on. It's difficult to keep up with all these guys. But I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, and hopefully they respect what I've done so far."
Paying back the people who helped
Kerr began his career at Edinburgh Athletics Club and spent the past week training on the old routes he used before moving to the USA at 18. He celebrated into the night in Glasgow with former coaches and supporters, and paid tribute to Scottish Athletics for keeping him on track.
"There were times in my career where I was really down in the dumps, not being able to make London mini-marathon teams. They pulled me out that hole and sent me in the right direction," he said.
"And everything I can do when I wear that Scotland vest is really special. It's something slightly different, and to have it every four years and to be able to do it in front of a home crowd, you just can't get better than that. So I appreciate all the work they've done for me, and I'm glad I'm able to pay that back a little bit now."
