Josh Kerr limps over finish line after pulling up injured in World Championship 1500m final
Josh Kerr bravely limped over the finish line at the World Athletics Championships after his 1500m defence ended in heartbreak and he was forced to pull up injured in the final.
The 27-year-old Scot appeared to pick up a painful leg injury with 600m remaining, with Kerr dropping to the back of the field and struggling to put his weight down on one side.
Kerr was bidding to retain the 1500m title won in Budapest two years ago, but could only watch as Portugal’s Isaac Nader pipped fellow Scot and 2022 world champion Jake Wightman to gold.
Jamie Braidwood17 September 2025 17:05
Why Jake Wightman has no regrets over agonising World Championship silver medal
Every great story deserves an encore and boy did Jake Wightman deliver with a silver that almost tastes of gold.
It has been three long years since he shocked Jakob Ingebrigtsen and the rest of the world to take 1500m glory in Eugene.
Since then, injury after injury had made him question whether he would ever get another chance but after uprooting his life and swapping coaches from his father to his father-in-law, the born racer was back in the arena where he shines.
Only two hundredths of a second separated this from being the greatest fairytale of the lot, Portugal’s Isaac Nader with the last 100 metres of his life to snatch World Championship gold.
But from the depths Wightman has plumbed, this still felt mighty sweet.
Paul Eddison17 September 2025 17:05
Jake Wightman reveals how he overcame ‘very bleak years’ to land silver medal at World Athletics Championships
The 2022 world champion has battled injuries in recent years and left his father and coach Geoff Wightman to change his training set-up in a bid to return to the pinnacle of the sport.
And the Briton took the lead over favourite Niels Laros, of the Netherlands, with 200m remaining, only for Portuguese athlete Isaac Nader to pip him on the line by two hundredths of a second in 3mins 34.10secs.
Flo Clifford17 September 2025 15:27
Jake Wightman: ‘This is a gold’
Jake Wightman has a long chat with BBC Sport. Did he ever think he’d come back to the top of the sport? “That’s what’s kept me going, I felt like I still had something like this in me. All I knew was I was going to try to win today and whatever happened, I would be happy. When you come that close to winning it, you can’t help but be a bit ‘what if I tried a bit more’, but I left everything out there. Honestly it’s been a very, very bleak couple of years for me. A lot of times I doubted myself, making this team was the main thing.
“I made some huge changes to my life, my fiance Georgie relocated all the way from London to Manchester to be close to therapy, I got a new coach and coaching setup, they’re big changes that have had a big impact. It took a while this season to believe that those were the right decisions.
“I’m a big believer that you kind of get what you put in at some point, when I kept getting kicked when I was down I kept thinking karma was going to come back and give me a bit of luck. I’m just very, very happy that I managed to prove that all the persistence and sticking with it has been worth it.
“I just knew through the rounds I felt like I had another gear. I nearly got there! But for me, this is a gold, getting on the start line in a championships final.”
(Getty Images)
Flo Clifford17 September 2025 14:57
Josh Kerr injury update
The BBC have reported that Kerr’s injury is so severe he couldn’t walk up the stairs to speak to the media.
Flo Clifford17 September 2025 14:51
‘The good guys do still win medals’
Greg Rutherford says on BBC comms: “Everybody suffers with injuries in their careers. Jake Wightman shows that you can come back from it and the good guys do still win medals.
“For anybody young watching this suffering with something difficult, it shows that you can push through.”
Flo Clifford17 September 2025 14:45
Men’s 1500m
Steve Cram and Paula Radcliffe have a chat about how great Jake Wightman’s ‘racing brain’ is. Just a shame that race was comparatively slow and ended up being a sprinter’s race.
Nader was in fifth going into the final straight but just powered down it.
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Flo Clifford17 September 2025 14:40
Neil Gourley: ‘I just did not have it’
Neil Gourley tells BBC Sport: “That was a really tough field to be in. I had bigger goals in it.
“I wasn’t in a terrible spot with 300 metres to go. Normally I can change gears but today I felt tired. I just did not have it.
“I have exceeded expectations and had my best form when it counted. Given where I was a few weeks ago, I am proud of where I have ended up.”
Flo Clifford17 September 2025 14:37
1500m silver for Jake Wightman
Jake Wightman takes some photos with fans, smiling and celebrating, and fortunately doesn’t seem too disappointed with that silver medal as he heads off to hug friends and family. After a difficult couple of years with injuries a world medal is so brilliantly deserved.
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Flo Clifford17 September 2025 14:34
Nader wins men’s 1500m final
10th for Neil Gourley, by the way.
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Flo Clifford17 September 2025 14:29
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