Over the past 18 months, we have become used to seeing Josh Kerr slugging it out for gold and glory in the world’s biggest 1500m races. But when the Scot squeezed hard on the trigger over the final 200m at Zurich’s Weltklasse on Thursday night he found nothing left in the barrel.
Kerr wasn’t the only one struggling to keep up with the searing pace. The Olympic champion Cole Hocker of the US was also too far back when the pacemaker Elliot Giles dropped out with 400m to go and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen kicked for home.
Suddenly a race that had been billed as the rematch of the big four in the Paris Games boiled down to two men: Ingebrigtsen and US star Yared Nuguse.
Ingebrigtsen was the fastest man in the field, and broke the longstanding 3,000m world record last week. But he has been sick ever since. It meant that his kick for home lacked drive and conviction. Gradually Nuguse, who won bronze in Paris, moved alongside him before kicking clear for a shock win in 3 mins 29.21 sec.
Ingebrigtsen was second in 3:29.52, with Hocker nearly a second back in third. Kerr, who had talked a good game, faded to finish fifth in 3:31.46.
“This race was so highly anticipated and I knew that it was going to be quick,” said Nuguse. “Everyone could have got this race. I am glad I was able to win.”
Ingebrigtsen was not too disappointed with his performance. “My race was better than I expected it to be yesterday,” he said. “I still haven’t recovered. It was worth it to come here and race.”
It was so cold and wet in Zurich that the high jumpers had blankets on to keep themselves warm in between attempts and there was surface water on the track. However that did not stop the Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo putting in the performance of the night.
The 21-year-old from Botswana looked to be beaten by American Kenny Bednarek, but in the final 10 metres he got up to win in 19.55, less than a tenth of a second slower than his time in Paris. Bednarek earned a PB in second in 19.57.
Elsewhere, Dina Asher-Smith’s fine post-Olympic form continued as she finished third in a high-quality 100m. Asher-Smith had a dream start, but she slowed with 15 metres to go as she was overtaken by the world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who came through to win in 10.84, with Olympic champion Julien Alfred second in 10.88. Asher-Smith was third, a hundredth of a second further back.
Britain’s Georgia Bell continued her good form by finishing second in the 800m in 1:57.94. But she had no answer when the Olympic silver medallist Mary Moraa kicked for home to win by about five metres in 1:57.08. Jemma Reekie faded to finish fourth in 1:58.49.
In the 5,000m, Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet was on target for a world record at halfway but drifted to finish eight seconds off the 14:00.21 set by Gudaf Tsegay last year.
