“That was mentally very tiring"- Josh Kerr weighs in on crashing out of the podium positions in his first appearance after the Paris Olympics 

Josh Kerr made his first appearance after the Paris Olympics at the Zürich Diamond League. The British athlete competed in the 1500m in a highly competitive line-up that had his arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Paris Olympic gold medalist Cole Hocker, and bronze medalist Yared Nuguse, among others.

Kerr failed to achieve a position on the podium and finished fifth. His rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen, marched into the event in peak form after breaking the 3000m world record but could not hold on to the lead in the final moments of the race and was overtaken by USA's Yared Nuguse, who clocked 3:29.21 to win.

Ingebrigtsen finished second with a time of 3:29.52 while Olympic Champion Cole Hocker finished third after clocking 3:30.46. Josh Kerr clocked 3:31.46 to finish fifth and expressed his disappointment about the race in a post-race interview.

"I don't know that was mentally very tiring. I don’t have a week-after-week time trial brain, so these races are kind of boring to me sometimes. You know getting up for it was one thing. I was excited to race, I’m in a good place, training’s been going well. You know if you see the first 1200m, I was in great shape but just couldn't close it down," Kerr said.

"It took a lot of mental energy just to stay in it and I didn't have much left in the last 200m. This whole season I have ran world records and gold medals indoors, it's a long year man. It is tough to go week in week out and do the same thing," he added.

Josh Kerr on winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics

Josh Kerr at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Day 9 - Athletics - Source: Getty

Josh Kerr won the silver medal in the 1500m at the Paris Olympics in a close finish with USA's Cole Hocker. The British athlete took to Instagram to express his thoughts on winning his first Olympic silver medal.

"As I celebrate the end of this incredible Olympic cycle, marked by my first major medal in 2021, I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support I’ve received from my family and friends throughout these championships. Their encouragement has been a cornerstone of my success, and I truly couldn’t have achieved this without them," he wrote.

"As I close this chapter, I’m filled with excitement and anticipation for what the next journey will bring. Here’s to new challenges and continuing to move forward with the same steadfast support behind me," he added.

With a gold medal in the World Athletics Indoor Championships and a silver medal in the Paris Olympics supplemented with a two-mile world record, the Olympic year was undoubtedly one of the best seasons in the British athlete's career.