"I just need to have the belief" - Josh Kerr ready to dethrone Jakob Ingebrigtsen as the 1500m Olympic Champion

Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are all set to square off at Prefontaine Classic 2024. They will be facing for the first time after the fierce rivalry kicked off at the World Championships last year, and the Scottish runner isn't just aiming at another win over Ingebrstein, he is looking to dethrone him as the 1500m Olympic Champion.

Kerr had a remarkable indoor campaign in 2024. The 26-year-old set the Indoor world record in the two-mile race at Milrose Games in February. He clocked 8:00.67 to overtake Mo Farah's previous world record time by almost three seconds.

The world champion opened his outdoor season at the Oregon Relays 2024 but not in his premier event, 1500m. Kerr clocked 1:45.9 to win the 800m title at Hayward Field, and will now feature at the Prefontaine Classic on May 25, where 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will kick off his outdoor season.

Josh Kerr was recently featured in Citius Magazine's ‘Beats: Unleashed’ series, where he talked about his mindset ahead of the Paris Olympics. Claiming that the race at the Olympics would be faster than the 2023 World Championships, which he won, the 26-year-old expressed confidence in going after the gold medal.

Speaking about his arch-rival, Kerr expressed:

"I've got to be realistic, and know that I'm not the current Olympic champion. I'm the current world champion, but Ingebrstein is the Olympic champion and it's his title and it's his title to lose. I just need to have the belief and the hopefully the training behind me that I allow that dream to come to reality."

The 1500m world champion added that he has always seen himself as the ‘favorite’ and would continue to do that as he faces Ingebrigtsen in a high-octane clash at Prefontaine Classic.

Josh Kerr believes in responding with results rather than comments

World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 - Day Two

Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen have been taking digs at each other since the 2023 World Championships when the former beat the Olympic Champion in a close contest in Budapest. It was the Norwegian who started it, but Kerr has responded equally, though indirectly.

After the Scottish runner set the indoor world record at the Milrose Games, Ingebrstein claimed that he would have ‘beaten’ Kerr in that race and that too ‘blindfolded’. It didn't go down well with Kerr, who claimed that he wouldn't let someone belittle his achievements. However, he stated that he would respond with the results.

"I’m always going to speak my mind and I’m not going to let someone belittle my career with their comments. But I’m not going to combat that with my own comments. I’m going to combat that with results", Kerr told Times UK.

Josh Kerr also added it was one of the reasons why he had decided to run at the Prefontaine Classic. Alongside him and Ingebrigtsen, Yared Nuguse and Hobbs Kessler will be other notable names in contention for the Bowerman Mile title.