Josh Kerr spells out ambitious target for London Diamond League's huge Battle of the Brits
Josh Kerr is aiming to obliterate the British 1500m record at Saturday's Novuna London Diamond League with the world champion claiming: 'I'm not here for a slow race.'
And while the event's showpiece race was designed to be his latest duel with great rival Jakob Ingrebrigtsen, absent through injury, it has morphed into a tasty Battle of the Brits.
Kerr may be talking up his chances of lowering his national record of 3:27.79 but there are four other domestic competitors with eyes on first place and one in particular could push the Scot to his limits.
George Mills is in a purple patch having clocked 3:28.36 in Paris last week, putting himself between Kerr and Sir Mo Farah on the all-time list. That followed a 5000m time of 12:46.59 that, briefly, made him the second fastest European ever.
But Kerr remains the alpha figure and is requesting a pace of 1:51 through 800m - and if he can maintain that he will blow his current mark out of the water.
'I'm here to win but I think I can run pretty fast,' Kerr said. 'I would say go out be aggressive and see what we can come out with.
'That's the idea, a British record would be great. But when you have a race like this, so packed with great athletes, the number one priority is to win and you'll get a good enough time from that.'
Fellow Flying Scotsmen Jake Wightman, the 2022 world champion who has overcome a host of injuries in the past two years, and Neil Gourley, a silver medallist at the world indoors in March, appear in good shape two weeks out from the national championships.
Elliot Giles should not be discounted either.
'It'll be an awesome race,' Kerr added. 'I'm looking to put something on the leaderboard that will make me proud going into the world championships.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool transfer news: Fresh Luis Diaz twist as Alexander Isak team-mates make feelings known
Liverpool are being heavily linked with Alexander Isak as the Newcastle star considers his future whilst Luis Diaz's next move is unclear with Bayern Munich ramping up their efforts to sign him Liverpool's summer has seen them spend more than £200million but they're being linked with a second British-record transfer move in a matter of weeks with Alexander Isak potentially on the move. The Newcastle frontman has expressed a desire to explore his options despite having three years to run on his deal at St James' Park. The Magpies have made it clear they do not want to sell their leading light - and it would take a mammoth fee to change their mind. Arne Slot has just seen Hugo Ekitike join from Frankfurt to lead their line, but the arrival of Isak could give the Dutchman even more options in the final third. Liverpool still have room within PSR to pursue a move for Isak, if he did ultimately decide to push for the exit door. But it remains to be seen what ripple affects may occur with some of their other frontmen. Here's the latest from Anfield. Bayern ramp up Diaz efforts Bayern Munich are not giving up in their pursuit of Liverpool star Luis Diaz and have tabled a second bid for the Colombian. The Bundesliga club have made Diaz their top target this summer but saw a bid of £58m rejected by the Reds, who would rather not sell the player. Talks are being spearheaded by Bayern chiefs Jan-Christian Dreesen and Max Eberl, who are keen to upgrade Vincent Kompany's squad to help the team push for even more honours next season. They have put a four-year deal on the table and Diaz is keen to make the move to Munich and has told Liverpool he wants to explore a move away with his contract at Anfield entering its final two years and no progress yet being made on any possible extension. Newcastle stars speak out on Isak Newcastle stars Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes have spoken out on the saga surrounding Isak, admitting the striker is going through "rough things" after he told the club he wants to consider leaving this summer. Isak is one of the most coveted players in the transfer window after a sensational season for the Magpies - where he scored against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. Club captain Guimaraes insisted he hoped the player would return for the club ahead of the new Premier League season. Burn said: "Listen, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But I think we can just control what we can control. That's a question for Alex to answer. He's obviously a big player for us, but we do have a lot of quality in the squad as well. Bringing Anthony (Elanga) in as well, which I think was a great signing. Alex hasn't trained with a thigh issue that's been ongoing since he's been back that first few days." Ekitike hails Slot's role Ekitike has revealed how a "very good discussion" with Slot convinced him to move to Anfield after a huge amount of interest in his signature this summer. Newcastle were on of the interested clubs and had a bid rejected by Frankfurt, with Liverpool then swooping in shortly after. He has now linked up with the rest of his team-mates on their pre-season tour of Asia and explained how Slot's persuasive tactics helped seal the move as he said: "We had a very good first discussion together. Obviously the coach is very human so we could talk not only about football [but] about everything. "I find him very interesting and I was very pleased to see what I can do with him because I think he is a really nice guy and I can still improve and progress with him. So, yeah, he is a really good coach and good person first, so that's why he made me want to come here."
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Pubs, supermarkets and bookies expecting huge boost when Lionesses play Euro final
Millions are expected to tune in to the must-watch clash between England and Spain, whether it be from home, pubs, beer gardens or in front of big screens Pubs, bookies and supermarkets are gearing up for a bumper weekend as the nation gets ready to roar on the Lionesses in the Euros final. Punters will be drinking until the wee hours after pubs received special permission to stay open as late as 1am to celebrate the occasion. And those planning to watch it at home have already begun stocking up - as supermarket giants expect a huge boost in sales. Asda has forecasted 1.3 million sales of bags of crisps and 300,000 pizzas. Meanwhile Tesco expects to sell three million cans of beer and cider, over 3.5 million bottles of wine, 450,000 bottles of champagne or sparkling wine, and 70,000 pizzas across the weekend. But despite the opposition, the supermarket believes that Spanish brews such as San Miguel, Cruzcampo, and Estrella are likely to be the beer of choice. Spanish lager is now by far the most popular beer bought in the UK, with volume growth at Tesco last year up by more than 15% versus the year before. And the bookies are also predicting a surge, as the Barmy Army back their beloved Lionesses to go all the way. Betting shop Coral expects this Sunday's Women's European Championship final to be to see a record-breaking number of fans having a flutter. Coral's John Hill said: 'Millions of pounds will be bet on the women's Euros final with British bookmakers, and the majority will be on the Lionesses to lift the trophy. For the first time in this tournament, England will start a match as the underdogs, but that tag might just suit them." William Hill added that 66% of bets taken in the Women's Euros have backed England. And after the government gave pubs a special dispensation to stay open late, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper wished the Lionesses good luck ahead of the final. She said: 'The Lionesses have shown throughout this summer why they are true national stars. They have shown unbelievable grit and determination and are an inspiration to us all. 'Watching football in the local pub is a great British tradition and by extending licensing hours, we will hopefully be able to celebrate late into the evening. I want to wish the best of luck to Sarina Wiegman and the England squad, who we hope will be able to bring it home once again and continue on as champions of Europe.'
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Alexander Isak offered whopping £32M-A-YEAR deal from Saudi but star has heart set on record-breaking Liverpool transfer
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALEXANDER ISAK has been offered a £32million-a-year deal from Saudi Arabia — but his heart is set on Liverpool. The Swedish striker, 25, told Newcastle he wants to leave after they knocked back the Reds' initial approach over a potential British-record £120m move last week. 2 Alexander Isak has rejected a big money move to the Middle East Credit: Getty SunSport understands he could now submit a transfer request to push for a switch to the Premier League champions. And he wants to head to Anfield despite the extraordinary offer from Al-Hilal, which would also see him land a £14m signing-on bonus and a host of other incentives. Isak would pocket £3.6m for winning the Saudi Pro League, £3.8m for lifting the Asian Champions League and a further £1.75m for finishing as the division's top scorer. Also on offer is £120,000 a month in personal expenses to cover travel for him and his family, a club house with four full-time staff and a full-time chauffeur. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Man Utd files Amorim considers shock striker deal as bankrupt legend is given busy schedule Isak would be provided with a private jet for him and his family whenever he is called up for Sweden duty. It would make him the fifth-highest earner behind only Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Cristiano Ronaldo. But Isak only has eyes for Liverpool. The Toon are refusing to sell last season's 27-goal top scorer despite him not going on their pre-season tour to Asia. They have been unable to persuade him to sign a £300,000-a-week deal making him Newcastle's highest-ever earner. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK And they fear he could force a move by handing in a written transfer request. Newcastle are exploring a move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko as a potential replacement. Newcastle plotting Benjamin Sesko bid to replace Alexander Isak And they are planning a £35m bid for Brentford's Yoane Wissa after a £25m offer was rejected. New Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike, who snubbed Tyneside for the Reds, has dropped a big hint that Isak could be joining him at Anfield. The Frenchman cost £69m from Frankfurt and boss Arne Slot wants Isak to join him, Mo Salah and Florian Wirtz in a new-look attack. And Ekitike, 23, revealed how much he likes a strike partner. He said: 'I can play alone and also with another striker and that's what makes me versatile. "You know now in football you need to adapt." 2 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
