Latest news with #BattleoftheBrits
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Josh Kerr makes big promise after Kenyan teen stuns London Diamond League
Josh Kerr is adamant that the men's 1500m world title will remain in British hands despite being humbled by Kenyan 18-year-old Phanuel Koech at London Stadium Josh Kerr promised the world 1500m title will remain in British hands come September after Kenyan kid Phanuel Koech stunned the London Stadium. Reigning champion Kerr could not match the finishing kick of Koech, 18, as the latest breakthrough star clocked 3:28.82 in what had been billed as a Battle of the Brits. And while it meant a deflating end in front of a sell-out crowd at the Olympic Park, Kerr and fellow Scot Jake Wightman, the 2022 champion, insisted there is no need to panic two months out from Tokyo. Koech has only appeared on the global radar in the past month having run a world under-20 record 3:27.72 in Paris on June 20. And Kerr, who claims not to follow the progress of his competitors too closely, joked that the teen first entered his mind when he appeared with 100m to go. But confident Kerr sounded a rallying cry after by saying: 'The title lives here and it will continue to live here for the next year. I'm not a big nerd of this sport. People come and go. People catch fire a little bit in races. "I really wanted to show up and win for this crowd but all I can guarantee and promise to them now is I will come back in a few months time and I will be battling for a gold medal for this country. I'll bring it home and then everyone can see what we were working towards today." George Mills, who has been in impressive form, led at the bell but was tripped with 200m to go, while Wightman finished well for fourth place and is gaining confidence heading into the trials on August 2 after putting a difficult spell with injury behind him. Morgan Lake won her first ever Diamond League high jump by succeeding over 1.96m to surprise a field containing world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Olympic 100m champ Noah Lyles, lining up for the first time over the distance this season following 'a freak injury', was a distant second to Oblique Seville. Jamaican Seville eased up to celebrate with a salute while running 9.86secs and described his performance as 'something special and phenomenal' Top Brit Zharnel Hughes was third in 10.02 and was less buoyant in his assessment. 'It was an average performance today, but I am not going to beat myself up about it,' he said. 'I have just got to keep trusting myself and my progress.' Earlier Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi won a dramatic men's 800m in 1:42.00. Canada's Marco Arop looked on track to break David Rudisha's iconic world record set on this track 13 years ago coming off the final bend only to fade slightly as Wanyonyi squeezed through on the inside.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Josh Kerr spells out ambitious target for London Diamond League's huge Battle of the Brits
World champion Josh Kerr has asked for British record pace in this afternoon's 1500m in Stratford with series of top Brits expected to push him hard in showpiece event 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.'
Wales Online
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Jack Draper's six-word Andy Murray quip says it all about tennis stars' relationship
Jack Draper's six-word Andy Murray quip says it all about tennis stars' relationship Jack Draper thrashed Jenson Brooksby to reach the round of 16 at the Queen's Club Championships on Tuesday, and he had the crowd in stitches with a comment about Andy Murray Jack Draper has claimed that he's "inspired" by Andy Murray (Image: Europa Press 2025 ) Jack Draper delighted the Queen's Club crowd with a witty, six-word remark about Andy Murray following his triumphant start to the grass-court season on Tuesday. Draper sailed through to the round of 16 after a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over US star Jenson Brooksby, setting up a clash with Australia's Alexei Popyrin. After his straight-sets win over Brooksby, Draper was quizzed on what it felt like to secure his maiden victory on the court that's now known as the 'Andy Murray Arena'. Bringing out a huge eruption of laughter from the crowd, Draper playfully said: "Can't get rid of this guy!". Draper also teased the possibility of an exciting coaching partnership with the British tennis icon, saying: "maybe I'll see him soon". Since Murray's recent split with Novak Djokovic, there has been speculation about his readiness to return to coaching, but many anticipate his eventual re-entry into the sport will be in collaboration with one of Britain's leading talents. "Andy is an unbelievable guy," Draper added. "He's someone I'm incredibly inspired by. I wouldn't be where I am without him. Article continues below Jack Draper will play Alexei Popyrin in the round of 16 at Queen's (Image: Getty ) "I remember coming here when I was younger, watching him winning these tournaments. He's just an incredible person to get to know. "I definitely miss seeing him on the tour. But at the same time, hopefully I'll get to see him around. Who knows? Maybe I'll see him soon. Thank you, Andy. This court deserves to be named after you, for sure." Draper dispatched Brooksby in a mere 77 minutes on a blistering afternoon at Queen's, without even facing a break point during the match. Despite the challenging conditions, the home favourite remained cool and hydrated, applying ice to his neck at every changeover, reports the Express. Jack Draper was full of praise for Andy Murray after the former's win at Queen's on Tuesday (Image:for Battle of the Brits ) Article continues below A strong performance at Queen's could provide a much-needed confidence boost for Draper ahead of Wimbledon, who has yet to progress beyond the second round of his home Grand Slam. The tournament is set to commence at the end of this month. The 23-year-old has proven himself as a serious contender at the top level this season. He briefly climbed to fourth in the ATP world rankings, although he has since slipped back to sixth following Taylor Fritz's victory in Stuttgart over the weekend. Since the year's commencement, Draper has made it to the finals of both the Qatar Open and the Madrid Open as well as clinching the biggest tournament win of his career so far at Indian Wells in March.
