I was thinking about the two of them the other day and had an epiphany. Don't they kind of have the same personality? They both are extremely confident and tell the truth in interviews - they don't do what most atheltes do which is say something nice or polite that is watered down by a PR team so it doesn't offend anyone.
The only difference is Jakob likes to race all the time and Kerr doesn't and Kerr is 8k to 3k and Jakob if 1500 to marathon.
I do find it amazing that Kerr - whose podcast co-host was asking for memes to mock Jakob's loss - is complaining about Jakob's manners. Personally, I find both of them refreshing as compared to the average person who doesn't say what they truly believe in interviews.
Bro is still yapping about Jakob... And why is this interviewer calling it a "great rivalry"? Jakob is 12-2 against Kerr in 1500 with one of losses being a heat. Jakob's only rival so far is Timothy Cheruiyot.
Heats do not count in your W-L column. With the exception being if you advance everyone who didn't takes a loss. Everyone who advances gets a nil against each other. Got it?
This post was edited 10 minutes after it was posted.
Bro is still yapping about Jakob... And why is this interviewer calling it a "great rivalry"? Jakob is 12-2 against Kerr in 1500 with one of losses being a heat. Jakob's only rival so far is Timothy Cheruiyot.
Heats do not count in your W-L column. With the exception being if you advance every who didn't takes a loss. Everyone who advances gets a nil against each other. Got it?
T. Cheruiyot stopped to be a thing since at least 2 years. Even his style of of running curving is back don't lead to any good optimism.
The only thing that can change J. Kerr is motivation (on paper he is a medium elite middle distance runner with nothing exceptional) and since the "mile" is some sort of "religion" in the British athleticism they will motivate him and they will way for him to progress more than the last year.
This post was edited 52 seconds after it was posted.
He's sticking to his guns re:Jacob. still not ruling out world indoors.
Plenty of Let's Run references.
Sounds like a boxer. Good interview
LRC note: The original title of this thread was "Good Josh Kerr interview." We changed it to note his quote about LetsRun.
Sigh. I personally think Josh Kerr is a phenomenal athlete - he's the reigning world champion and Olympic medalist in one of the toughest events in the sport - just a great talent who is already in the history books.
But dude, why go out of your way to sound like an absolute tw@t and be so unlikeable, because that is exactly what he is doing.
Just to be be clear, on the 23rd of August last year you were the best athlete in world over 1500m, the same way on the 19th of July 2022 Jake Wightman was and the same way Jakob was on the day of the Tokyo 1500m final. One race doesn't definitively make you the best championship runner in the world at any event, in that case Wightman could say "hey well I was injured and wasn't even there so it's still me" or Jakob could say "but the DL finals are also championship races and I won there so it's really me" - it's just as stupid thing to say with so many flaws.
Sadly for Josh he's coming off as extremely unconfident and insecure vs what he's trying to come across as. He doesn't need to validate his excellence - he's done it on the track. I don't really believe anyone has invalidated him at all - including Ingebrigtsen. It's also ironic he has taken some high road here of manners (very British thing to do) when he's coming off as the one with "manner" issues.
I know some people revel in this "Muhammad Ali" inter-rival conflict stuff - personally I find it contrived, overplayed and nauseating.
I'm glad that Josh Kerr exists. He's definitely making the 1500m more interesting by being this outspoken.
But god I've never wanted Jakob to win a race so much before. If Kerr wins at the Olympics, we never hear the end of it. If Jakob wins, there'd barely be a headline before we're already discussing what he'll achieve next. I'd prefer anyone else winning over Kerr.
I want Nuguse to show up wearing a “next guy” t shirt and smoke them both.
Seriously if this lets Kerr make some money for a race, good for him. Otherwise it is just hot air.
I want to like Kerr but he’s not doing himself any favors with these interviews. There is no actual rivalry between him and Jakob. Josh won a single time after getting dog walked in every other meeting up to that point and has made it his entire personality. He can’t seem to shut up about Jakob or his flaws as an athlete and a person.
Not going to summarize the entire article (there are some good parts, the stuff about running on Christmas reads like parody and has to be tongue-in-cheek) but want to emphasize Kerr’s comments about Glasgow.
“There are lots of factors involved and that’s why we’re taking so long. The two-mile record is the focus right now. But I am not scared to race anyone. It’s just that my body is not always great on tight bends. However, not having to run three races at trials makes a big difference and I’m trying to convince my coaching team.”
All Josh had to do was make a definitive statement re World Indoors one way or the other. Instead, his team has waffled on this for months to the point that he can longer win from an optics standpoint even if he shows up. This would be a non-issue except that he so obviously dodged Jakob in Eugene and has been talking trash about him ever since.
In all fairness Ingy has also only won one time in the event they both run
Both Ingebrigtsen and Kerr have a "high ego". You almost have to have that crazy level of self-confidence in order to succeed at the highest levels.
Ingebrigtsen may not be perfect in the "manners realm" but he does not call out and disrespectfully criticize other individual athletes like Kerr is doing to him.
Kerr should pay more attention to his own manners and flaws. He might find that such introspection will come in handy later this summer.
Its always tempting to be a cocky winner, but much more admirable to be a gracious loser,
Yes. They have the same personalities, which is why they hate each other so much.
I don’t think Jakob hates Kerr. -He calls his competitors “just the next guys” not to belittling them but because to make this point: He wants to be good enough in himself, and therefore not having to think of the other guys; therefore “just the next guy / guys”…. And I think this also explains why Jakob consistently refuses to use his competitors names, or answer who he thinks will be the toughest to beat…
Yes. They have the same personalities, which is why they hate each other so much.
I don’t think Jakob hates Kerr. -He calls his competitors “just the next guys” not to belittling them but because to make this point: He wants to be good enough in himself, and therefore not having to think of the other guys; therefore “just the next guy / guys”…. And I think this also explains why Jakob consistently refuses to use his competitors names, or answer who he thinks will be the toughest to beat…
I think difference the between the two is explained by the difference between thinking and knowing.
Kerr thinks he's the best, or at least tells himself and others that he's the best to try and convince. Jakob knows he's the best.
Both Ingebrigtsen and Kerr have a "high ego". You almost have to have that crazy level of self-confidence in order to succeed at the highest levels.
I like your post overall, but have always disagreed with this sentiment. Perhaps that puts me in the minority.
I absolutely DO NOT believe having a crazy level of self-confidence is a prerequisite for succeeding at the highest levels. What is true is that succeeding at the highest levels is likely to LEAD TO lots of self-confidence. If you've won every race you ever entered up to age 18 and now you're still the best, making lots of money in front of the cheering fans, you're likely to think highly of your own abilities.
On the other hand, success is a combination of talent and performing to the best of your abilities. The latter includes having a clear enough head to meet the moment in a big race, which suggests at least some confidence, but not necessarily more than the average person. And committed training could be fueled by self-belief, but it could also be fueled by self-doubt (and I'd bet on the latter as more powerful).
What's likely more important than confidence is a deep desire to win, or at least perform one's best. I find it hard to believe anyone could stay on top of the world for very long without this.