The world 1500m champion is given the honour after being voted in by fellow teammates in the French capital
Josh Kerr will captain the Great Britain athletics team at the Paris Olympics.
The 26-year-old, who is the current world 1500m indoor 3000m champion, was voted in by his fellow teammates and will make the traditional captain’s speech at the final team meeting tonight (July 28), helping to inspire the 64-strong athletics squad.
Josh Kerr
“I’m truly honoured with the trust shown by my teammates to lead us into these Games,” Josh Kerr said. “I want to be a supporter for the most experienced and an open book for our first timers, and do all I can to help us win those percentage battles over the next couple of weeks.
“Us athletes have had the ‘best of the best’ support staff and set-up provided to us in preparing for these Games and we want to repay that with our performances out there next week.”
Olympic Head Coach at UK Athletics, Paula Dunn, added: “Congratulations to Josh [Kerr] for receiving this honour from his team-mates for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It is testament to his character and the way he carries himself that they’ve voted for him to take this role.
“I know how respected he is by the rest of the team for his professionalism, and his complete dedication to his performance is inspiring everyone here at preparation camp.”
He beats Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Getty)
Following his triumph in the 1,500m at the World Championship last autumn in Budapest, Kerr will rematch with his fiercest adversary, Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who brought home the gold in Tokyo while Kerr finished third in his maiden Olympics. With his bronze, Kerr became the only man from Britain to win an Olympic medal in track and field.
The First Round of the men’s 1,500-meter competition takes place on August 2.
Olympic Head Coach of UK Athletics Paula Dunn remarked, “Congratulations to Josh for receiving this honor from his team-mates for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.” “That they voted for him to take on this role is a testament to his character and the way he carries himself.”
A year after winning his first world championship, Kerr defeated Jakob Ingebrigtsen once more in the much-awaited Mile event at the Prefontaine Classic earlier this spring, setting a new British record with a time of 3:45.24. Kerr also established the indoor two-mile world record (8:00.67) at the 2024 Millrose Games.
After converting from Eritrea to the United States as her national sports allegiance in June 2021, Kelati will compete for Team USA in the Olympics. She left nothing to chance at the U.S. Olympic Trials, holding off Parker Valby and Karissa Schweizer in the last stretch with a spectacular kick. Finishing in 31:41.07, she won her first U.S. title and punched her ticket to the Olympics even though she had already secured the Olympic 10,000m Standard earlier in March. Parker Valby and Karissa Schweizer were unable to catch her in the latter stages of the Olympic Trials, and she finished in 31:41.07 to secure her first U.S. title and her ticket to Paris.
Kerr won individual NCAA titles in the Indoor Mile (2017 & 2018) and Outdoor 1,500m (2017) while attending UNM. Kelati finished her Lobo career as the most decorated athlete in program history with 13 All-American titles, having earned an NCAA title in the outdoor 10,000m in 2019 before taking home an NCAA Cross Country Championship in the fall of the same year.
“I feel incredibly privileged to have my teammates’ trust in me to guide us into these Games. I want to be a supporter for the most experienced and an open book for our first comers, and give it my all over the next few weeks to assist us win those percentage battles.
“We want to repay the best support staff and setup that these athletes have received in order to prepare for these Games with our performances next week.”
GB athletics
He claimed Olympic 1500m bronze in Tokyo three years ago and now wants to be on the top of the podium in Paris.
In what is expected to be one of the biggest clashes at the Games, the Brit will renew his rivalry with reigning Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Paris Olympics
He finished behind Ingebrigtsen at the Tokyo Olympics but got the better of the Norwegian at last year’s World Championships in Budapest.
The men’s 1500m heats are scheduled for August 2, the semi-finals on August 4 and the final on August 6.
The latest news from the Team GB camp is that Charlie Carvell, who was down to run in the men’s 4x400m, is out of the Olympics with a “minor hamstring issue”.
On his Instagram, Carvell said: “I’m devastated, I am being withdrawn from the Paris Olympics due to a minor hamstring issue. I will be taking a break from the sport and social media for a little while.”
Paris Olympic previews – jumps events
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