Kerr 'very confident' for 1500m defence in Tokyo

"I'm present to win" was nan elemental connection from Josh Kerr arsenic he prepared to take sides his 1500m title astatine nan World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo.

It's neither bravado nor boasting, conscionable nan quiet condemnation of an jock who tin look astatine his badge haul successful nan past 4 years and spot World gold, Olympic metallic and Olympic bronze glinting backmost astatine him.

"It feels precisely what it's expected to consciousness like," said nan 27-year-old Scot of his preparations. "It feels for illustration I've earned it.

"It feels for illustration I cognize what I'm doing and I'm conscionable looking to execute a akin scheme to 2023, wherever I spell retired and I return nan title and triumph it beautiful dominantly.

"You person to make judge you respect nan competition's abilities but I'm emotion very confident."

A fierce competitor and bully title strategist, Kerr is besides a heavy philosopher and took clip retired to process nan magnitude of his accomplishment successful Budapest erstwhile he sewage nan amended of bitter rival Jacob Ingebrigtsen.

He explained: "When you triumph 1 of these and you yet get to that golden badge spot, everyone asks really it feels and has it sunk in?

"It took maine a while to fig out. What it meant to maine was; what standards do I request to raise successful my life to let this to beryllium a inclination and not a one-off? What do I request to do to beryllium a world champion successful nan measurement that I train, nan measurement I travel, nan measurement I sleep, nan measurement I eat, each of that stuff.

"I took 4 aliases 5 months analysing each portion of my life and tried to spot wherever I could make small gains, truthful that you spell into a title pinch nary benignant of chromatic near unturned.

"You're trying to constrictive nan spread betwixt nan awesome days and nan bully days. It's a very relaxing emotion knowing that nan work's been put successful and you're going to spell retired and execute, laic it each connected nan statement and spot really nan chips fall."

Kerr will person 2 different Scottish world medallists for institution successful Japan.

Neil Gourley took world indoor metallic successful Nanjing earlier this year, while Jake Wightman paved nan measurement to Kerr's golden badge by beating Ingebrigtsen to nan apical of nan podium nan twelvemonth earlier successful Eugene.

Back-to-back world 1500m champions from Scotland is an accomplishment that still makes Kerr smile.

"It is underappreciated but that's nan world of sport, everyone moves connected really quickly," he said.

"I do deliberation Scotland appreciates us. So our extremity for nan adjacent fewer years is to proceed to stock nan story, proceed to stock each portion of what we do to get fresh for these championships truthful that we tin turn nan adjacent harvest of athletes.

"For immoderate jock that comes done nan nine strategy successful Scotland, we've shown you tin scope these levels. There's thing stopping you from being nan champion successful nan world. We request to beryllium that assets for them.

"It's an awesome era to beryllium successful and I couldn't beryllium surrounded by amended guys. I'm judge we'll person immoderate awesome battles and if I'm not nan 1 winning, past I bloody dream that 1 of those 2 is.

"I deliberation nan Brits tin person aggregate medals. I mean, if you're not going to tune successful for nan last connected Wednesday, I don't cognize what you're doing."

The title will besides beryllium nan latest section successful nan Josh versus Jakob rammy, an intense rivalry that shows nary motion of easing off.

"No, we don't get along," Kerr confirmed. "Then again, I'm not present to person tons of friends from different places. I'm present to bring medals backmost to nan UK, backmost to Scotland.

"There's evidently a level of respect we each person for each different because I cognize really difficult I work. If you're going to hit me, aliases if you're going to beryllium connected my level, past I person respect for nan activity you do. So my GB and Scottish team-mates, they'll beryllium nan ones I'll beryllium chatting with, but that's astir it really."