"Tried to take some medication"- Josh Kerr opens up on his illness that led his to withdraw from season opener at Millrose Games 

Josh Kerr has opened up about his illness that led him to withdraw from his season opener at the Millrose Games earlier this month. The British athlete claimed that he tried his best to treat his illness with medication and rest, though it was the best decision to withdraw from the event as he was not fully fit to compete.

Kerr was set to compete in the famous Wanamaker Mile against a highly competitive line-up, including Olympic medalist Yared Nuguse. Fans showed great anticipation to witness a face-off between the two athletes in an indoor race early on in the season. However, their desire remained unfulfilled. The night before the race, it was announced that Josh Kerr wouldn't compete.

Despite Kerr's absence, USA's Yared Nuguse put forward an incredible performance and set a new world record in the Indoor Mile with a time of 3:43.63. Kerr spoke about his decision and opened up about his illness in the latest video on his YouTube channel 'Josh Kerr.' The 27-year-old revealed that it was frustrating to withdraw from the Millrose Games but it was the right decision.

"I think we made the right decision yesterday. It was very ropey. I tried to take some medication and you know mask some of the stuff that was going on but still was feeling really bad pretty much throughout the whole day. Couldn't really drink or eat anything or keep anything down and then yeah, just pretty much slept all of yesterday and feeling a little better today," he said. (18:44)

"So, frustrating for sure but I think definitely the right decision, I think sometimes as athletes, we get so kind of involved in what we're doing in the moment, we kind of forget the big picture you know, whenever I go into a race its the biggest deal in the world and Millrose is such a big event for me every year so I wanted to get it right and I wanted to be in it but it just wasn't the right decision," he added.

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Josh Kerr on withdrawing from the Millrose Games

Josh Kerr competes in the heats at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 7 - Source: Getty

Josh Kerr also took to Instagram to express his thoughts on withdrawing from the Millrose Games. The British athlete expressed how he had put in a lot of effort to prepare for the event.

Kerr expressed his disappointment in missing out on one of the most popular indoor races of the season. The Olympic medalist added that he trusted the decisions of his coaching staff and hoped to return to the track as soon as possible.

"The build-up for a race is an arduous process. I was gutted to not toe the line but I trust my coaching staff and the decisions made. Congratulations to the records set. It’s an exciting time to be a miler in the sport. Eyes on GST," he wrote on Instagram.

Josh Kerr will run his first race of the season in the debut edition of the revolutionary track meet, Grand Slam Track.