Josh Kerr claimed Commonwealth Games gold in the One Mile in front of his home crowd in Glasgow, crossing the line in 3 minutes 54.12 seconds. The world record holder beat rising Australian star Cameron Myers, who took silver, with Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot winning bronze. Fellow Scot Jake Wightman finished fifth.
After the race, the 28-year-old joked that he felt no pressure following his world record mile two weeks ago, adding: "Pressure is for tyres."
King of Scotland
On being called "King of Scotland", Kerr said: "Stop it. It was incredible, the fans packed the stadium and I knew that I had to seize the moment. I learned my craft there in Scotstoun stadium, it is where I learned how to win and lose. Winning in front of the home crowd was just incredibly special."
He thanked his childhood coach and said: "I am very, very proud to be an Eric Fisher athlete." Fisher, who still coaches in Glasgow, said he was proud to have guided both Kerr and Wightman as teenagers.
Historic Games for Team Scotland
The raucous home crowd roared as Kerr took the lead on the final lap and finished comfortably clear of his rivals. The First Minister later presented the medals at an evening ceremony.
Mr Swinney described Scotland’s performances at the Games as "truly historic and inspiring". He said: "We’ve enjoyed some truly historic performances from Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games – in swimming, bowls, athletics to name a few. I hope that the Glasgow Games will encourage future generations to continue and build on this legacy of sporting greatness."
Cheaper Games, lasting future
The 11-day sporting event ends with tonight’s closing ceremony at the Ovo Hydro. The slimmed-down format has saved the British taxpayer around £600m and may have secured the event’s future.
Public funding for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games totalled £778m, with Birmingham City Council and local partners contributing £184m (25%) and the UK central government covering the remaining £594m (75%). Organisers of Glasgow 2026 say using hotels instead of a village, along with smaller arenas and fewer events, cut costs to around £160m. Victoria in Australia, which was due to host, paid £199m to withdraw, funding Glasgow 2026 without taxpayers paying a penny.
Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, said: "This definitely isn’t the last hurrah for the Commonwealth Games. What we’ve seen is a wholesale shift in what the Commonwealth Games needs to do to sustain itself, not just through 2030, but through 2034, 2038 and beyond."
