British runner retains the title in style ahead of Cole Hocker of the United States and Yann Schrub of France, as Nadia Battocletti of Italy claims the women’s 3000m crown.
The last time we saw Josh Kerr in a global final, he limped home last in the world 1500m in Tokyo with an injured calf. The 28-year-old licked his wounds, returned to training with a venom and re-emerged on Saturday (March 21) in Toruń with a dominant 3000m victory over Cole Hocker, the Olympic 1500m and world 5000m champion from the United States.
Kerr is never short of confidence and claimed this title was his to lose. Not for the first time he lived up to his promise as well by delivering a tactical masterclass – although he later disagreed – to beat a world-class line-up in what many billed as the race of these World Indoor Championships.
Hocker kept the pace ticking along in the early stages before Addisu Yihune went into the lead, the Ethiopian seemingly leading it out for team-mate Getnet Wale.
Kerr gradually moved up during the race, however, hitting the front just after the bell as Hocker was caught napping back in sixth.
As Kerr surged away to clock 7:35.56 to win, the fast-finishing Hocker scrambled his way into second in 7:35.70 as in-form Frenchman Yann Schrub took third in 7:35.71.
Jacob Krop of Kenya was fourth in 7:36.76 with Yared Nuguse of the United States fifth in 7:37.08 after having been in third for much of the latter stages behind the two Ethiopians.
Nick Griggs was ninth in 7:39.03, beating fellow Irishman Andrew Coscoran by a couple of places. There was no ‘textbook George’ finish from Geordie Beamish either – the usually fast-finishing New Zealander never looking comfortable as he drifted off the back of the lead pack and finished 14th.
“I knew I had to get the closing stages right otherwise I’d be having some difficult conversations with my coach,” said Kerr, who ran his second 1500m in 3:39.3. “I was extremely fit coming into this.”
Kerr didn’t think he ran the perfect race, though. “This race didn’t go the way I wanted it to go but racing is all about dealing with the situations you are put in,” he said. “I shouldn’t worry much about the mistakes in the race, although there were a lot of them today. I didn’t have time to think about them, I had to push. I wanted this gold medal so badly.
“I got into my own head a bit when it came to trying to conserve energy. But it was a world-class field, so it wasn’t easy. I also thought I’d gone a little bit early but luckily I had some juice in me.”
He clearly enjoyed the victory, though, celebrating with a big smile and a finger pointed in the air. “From where we were in Tokyo to having another world medal, it’s down to coaching, my physio and my mum. It’s a family win right there.”
Hocker said: “It was a tactical championship race. It is a bit of a disappointment for me not to come away with the gold. Getting a medal is always incredible and I am proud of it but you gotta shoot for the stars.”
Schrub said: “It is my 30th birthday and I could not have gotten a better present. Just 20 days ago I did not even plan to run here but then I set a European 10km record, so I thought I was in great shape and I decided to give it a try.”
A few minutes earlier, Nadia Battocletti proved the fastest and strongest in the women’s 3000m to take gold in 8:57.64 ahead of Emily Mackay of the United States and Jess Hull of Australia.
The Italian has been a revelation in recent years, winning European 5000m and 10,000m gold on home soil in Rome in 2024 before taking Olympic 10,000m silver in Paris and then two minor medals in the 5000m and 10,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo last year.
Here she claimed her first global title with a sizzling finish, although she was fortunate that one of her biggest rivals, Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia, fell halfway into the race. Keeping her cool, Hailu fought back into contention but wound up sixth in a messy race that included a pedestrian first kilometre in 3:15 (9:45 pace).
Battocletti took the lead with 700m to go and began to wind it up, but Hull forged past her with 300m to go, only for Battocletti to make a decisive attack just before the final bend.
Mackay then snuck past Hull in the closing metres to beat the Australian for silver by six hundredths of a second in 8:58.12.
Battocletti, 25, said: “I didn’t expect this result and this shape, I surprised myself especially because I finished Ramadan just two days ago, and I also recently finished my exams so it was a difficult time for me. I knew I was in good shape but I was still surprised when I crossed the finish line. I did a super fast finish which I didn’t train for – it was crazy after a really chaotic race, a tactical one.”
British duo Katie Snowden and Hannah Nuttall finished ninth and tenth respectively in 9:03.79 and 9:04.20.