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After losing to 18-year-old Kenyan Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech in the 1500m at the London Diamond League, Josh Kerr chose to focus on the positives. The meet, held on Saturday, July 19, at the London Stadium, marked the 11th stop of the 15-leg Wanda Diamond League circuit.
Coming off back-to-back 1500m wins at the inaugural Grand Slam Track Series in Miami and Philadelphia, Kerr was bested in London by Koech, who clocked 3:28.82. Kerr finished second in 3:29.37, followed by Portugal’s Isaac Nader in third with 3:31.55.
Post-race, Kerr reflected on his effort, saying he felt good for most of the race and made a strong move with 250m to go, but admitted he lost focus slightly in the final stretch.
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"In general, I really liked how I felt in the whole race. I felt like I made a solid move at 250, I just did not have my head on straight with 200m to go, and I let them go a little bit," Josh Kerr said (via London Diamond League).
He further noted that it had been a while since he raced this hard, so running 3:29 at this point in the season is promising.
"The power was not quite there but it is not far away. But we have not ran a race like that for a while. To be running 3:29 at this point of the season is encouraging and I know I can make some jumps over the next couple of months."
Before his London Diamond League run, Koech broke the World U20 record in the men’s 1500m with a 3:27.72 finish, placing second at the Paris Diamond League on June 20.
Other highlights from the meet included Jamaica’s Oblique Seville defeating Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the men’s 100m. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes finished third. In the women’s 200m, Julien Alfred secured first place, with GB’s Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt finishing second and third, respectively.
"I think I'm gaining some good momentum" - Josh Kerr reflects on 2025 progress
Josh Kerr closed out his 2024 season by winning a world indoor title, a world record, and an Olympic silver medal. After winning bronze at the delayed Tokyo Games, Kerr stepped up to claim silver in the men’s 1500m at Paris 2024.
Now in 2025, despite an early-season setback in Jamaica, he bounced back with dominant wins in Miami and Philadelphia. In a pre-race interview with FloTrack, the British middle-distance star discussed his form as the season reaches full swing with the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
"I think I'm gaining some good momentum. Jamaica wasn't the start I wanted, but Miami, I was able to come out with a win and then, moving on to Philly, was able to win that 1500. So yeah, the legs are feeling good. It’s been a nice training block, and going into the race knowing we have pacemakers and it's going to be fast is a whole different way of approaching it—but I’m excited for it," Josh Kerr said.
Earlier, on February 11, 2024, Josh Kerr broke the indoor 2-mile world record at the Millrose Games in New York, clocking an impressive 8:00.67.
