Josh Kerr knows he is running with a target on his back – and insists he would not have it any other way. World record holder and Commonwealth champion, it has been a whirlwind 24 hours for the new 'King of the Mile' after his gold medal success at Scotstoun.
This was the event he had circled in his calendar for some time, but Kerr admitted he had not had much sleep since the win. "Glasgow on the weekend is always bouncing," he joked.
Next target: El Guerrouj's 1500m record
The 28-year-old already has Hicham El Guerrouj's mile world record in his keeping. Now the Moroccan's 28-year-old best in the 1500m – the longest-standing running record on the books – is next in his sights. Kerr makes no secret of the fact he is racing for his legacy too, following in the footsteps of Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram, all former British world record holders in the event.
His list of targets is clear: regaining the world 1500m title in Beijing next year, upgrading his Olympic silver from Paris to gold in LA, and, top of the list, another world best.
A history-making summer?
In middle-distance running, in-form athletes can quickly collect records. During a historic 41-day summer stretch in 1979, Coe broke the world records for the 800m, mile and 1500m. Kerr will not compete over 1500m at the European Championships in Birmingham, which could open up another world record tilt – perhaps in Lausanne or Zurich later this summer.
"I think the 1,500-world record is within my grasp," he said. "I'm going to keep going after these records. Unfortunately, I'm the sort of person who gets something and always wants more. We need to keep pushing our sport into the 21st century.
"I don't want to get greedy. Greedy athletes make mistakes, like I did last year at the World Championships. I want to play through all the variables and not push through the red line. I'm a body of work built by everyone else around me and I'm incredibly lucky to have the team of people I have supporting me. You don't know how many times you'll get the chance to make history."
Delivering on his promises
Kerr has never hidden his ambitions. He vowed to smash a 27-year-old record and win Commonwealth gold this summer – and has now delivered on both. He admitted there was relief at backing up his bold talk with action, and insisted he loved every minute of the pressure.
With form like this, and comparisons to Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Andy Murray, more of it could surely mean "Arise, Sir Josh". "Chris Hoy went to my school and I was in school assemblies listening to his stories and being inspired," Kerr added. "To be mentioned even in the same sentence as two absolute legends like him and Andy doesn't seem real."
"This job is not easy if you don't have role models and those guys were mine. But I've got a lot of work to do to keep up with them, and I'll try."
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