It's not an act, I dislike him': The Olympics feud hanging over a British star's gold chase

For a few, brief seconds before 8.50pm on August 6, pin-drop silence will descend on the Stade de France.

Then, there will be no more talking. Nothing further Josh Kerr nor Jakob Ingebrigtsen can add. Barring any late hitches, both middle-distance running titans will crouch for the gun in the 1500m Olympic final.

From the moment the trigger is pulled, the blank propelled into the Paris night’s sky, the equation is a very simple one for the next three-and-a-half minutes. Man against man. Great Britain against Norway. The ultimate test of who wants it more. Of who is willing to dig deeper than they ever have before.

Will it be Ingebrigtsen, Olympic champion again. Or Josh Kerr, the reigning World Champion, adding Olympic gold to his medal haul.

‘I knew when I was growing up that this Olympic year would be the one that I could really go at,’ explains Kerr, who finished third behind Ingebrigtsen and Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot in the 1500m in Tokyo three years ago.

‘These are massive opportunities in my career and I’m excited that I’m fit and mentally available to go after the big medal.

‘You’ve got to take those opportunities. You’re not guaranteed tomorrow. I’m the best 1500m runner in the world so you’ve got to think it’s a pretty good opportunity.’

Kerr, as you may gather, is feeling rather confident ahead of his date with destiny.

The Scot, 26, looks relaxed, if a little red in the face, as he speaks to Mail Sport from Albuquerque, New Mexico, his training base and home since the age of 17.

‘It’s so hot… it’s a nightmare, but it’s good for heat training and altitude training. I’m burning up pretty much every day.’

It is those sacrifices, he hopes, that will see him prevail in one of the sport’s most bitter rivalries.

There is no love lost between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen. Neither man makes much of an effort to conceal that fact, either.

It all began last summer, on a balmy Budapest evening, when Kerr strode clear of Ingebrigtsen to claim world championship gold. It was a remarkable and resounding performance. 

Almost a carbon copy of the one fellow Brit and friend Jake Wightman pulled out of the bag to down Ingebrigtsen, previously considered as untouchable in his field, at the prior world championships in Oregon in 2022.

The Norwegian put that failure down to illness. Four days later, it should be noted, Ingebrigtsen was well enough to win 5000m gold.

The verbal jousting has never really ceased since, with Ingebrigtsen referring to the Brit as ‘just the next guy’ and Kerr accusing the Norwegian of a lack of respect. He knows there is only one place where the score can truly be settled.

‘I’m sure the questions will never stop, but I would say that we’re both in a situation where we both think we’re the best in the world and that’s going to create great races and probably very annoyed individuals after races, especially if they keep going my way,’ Kerr said of Ingebrigtsen, who sent out a statement of intent last week by shattering his own European record at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco.

‘But this is what gets me working. This is what gets me out of bed and what makes me want to push myself to be the best when it comes to these races.

‘We’re not the best of friends and it’s not an act. I dislike him. But it’s not like I have anything against him. I want to win races, I’m there to win races and I think I’m going to continue to do that.’

The pair met earlier this year at the Prefontaine Classic in a precursor to their Paris duel. The race was billed as the ‘Mile of the Century’ with Kerr drawing first blood, beating Ingebrigtsen on his way to shaving almost a second off Steve Cram’s previous British record of 3:46.32.

The rivalry and Kerr’s preparations for Paris will be examined even closer in the coming weeks. Kerr is one of nine British athletes whose journey to this summer’s Games has been followed by Channel 4 film crews. The documentary is bound to be compelling viewing when Kerr is in front of the cameras. He isn’t one to shy away from difficult conversations and is happy to embrace his role as one the protagonists in this captivating storyline.

‘I’m excited to have races that people enjoy watching and that we’re creating these rivalries,’ he said. ‘If we go out there and we run for three-and-a-half minutes, do a couple of interviews and head home, people can only really hold on to that or create their own opinions on people with a very limited view.

‘(The documentary) allows us to show our personality for who we are and to be ourselves.’

The cameras will no doubt have captured the lengths Kerr, a stickler for detail, has gone to in ensuring no stone is left unturned in his mission to topple Ingebrigtsen for the second successive summer. Every eventuality has been planned for meticulously.

‘There are things that happen in these structures and it’s like, “What can we do to stay on task when everything else is going to s***”.

‘If it’s a lost contact lens or if it’s a shoelace coming untied. In the 1500m semi-final of the world championships last year, (British team-mate) Elliot Giles ripped his lace out of his spike. He was able, through some deep breathing, to relace his spike and piece together a tied knot.’

With Kerr busy plotting his path to gold, it seems wise that preparations for his wedding with American fiancee Larimar later this year are being left in the hands of professional planners. ‘Being able to be a bit of a human being outside of trying to be Olympic champion is important,’ he explains. ‘My fiancee brings that for me. She’s my rock in this situation.’

First things first, though, there is the small matter of Paris. Three and three-quarter laps for Kerr to prove, once again, that he is the best in the world.

Path to Paris: The Hunt for Gold airs on Saturday at 4.55pm on Channel 4, following British athletes as they prepare for Paris 2024 and offering an insight into how National Lottery players support them on their journey.