It felt like the ghosts of 1954 were chasing Josh Kerr down the home straight of the Scotstoun track. Stories from the famous battle between Sir Roger Bannister and John Landy pumped nostalgia into every step of this Miracle Mile.
Queen Elizabeth II was just two years into her reign for that epic clash in Vancouver. Her great grandchildren were in the crowd for this one, braving the Glaswegian chill to watch Kerr push and shove his way to gold.
More than seven decades have passed since Bannister’s victory but Kerr’s spirit when he made his move in the final lap would survive the test of time. The Scotsman was boxed in with 400 metres to go, before he shoved Kenya’s Brian Komen out of the way and charged from the middle of the pack.
This is the place where Kerr set personal bests in the shot put and high jump as a schoolboy. He watched his brother play rugby here for Edinburgh and, at times, this race had the physicality of a Scottish scrum.
‘Welcome the world champion and the world record holder,’ blasted the stadium announcer. As if this race did not have enough storylines to it, the stadium announcer was the father of fellow Scot Jake Wightman, who finished sixth.
Like Kerr, Wightman knows this place well. Both raced here for Edinburgh Athletics Club as juniors. Wightman is renowned for his sprint finish but he could not catch Kerr, who turned his bedroom into an altitude chamber to increase his lung capacity for moments like this.
Scotland’s Josh Kerr surged clear of the field to claim a dominant gold medal in the mile event
There was even more anticipation for this race than when Usain Bolt stepped onto the Glasgow track for the relay in 2014. Hometown heroes, champions, record holders, Olympians were all in the mix. This was a world-class field.
Two weeks ago, Kerr broke the mile record at London Stadium. Bannister and Landy did the same before Vancouver, famously breaching the four-minute barrier for the first time.
They did not have the same footwear as the Scotsman, whose running spikes were engineered in a laboratory in Seattle.
‘It definitely felt a little bit overkill – like driving a formula one car along the street for a cup of coffee,’ said Kerr after his heat on Thursday.
To the untrained eye, they look like trainers that are missing the heel. Their ‘rocking’ midsole is designed to maximise the energy return on every stride. They were formulated to break the world record at London Stadium, where Kerr had smooth pacemakers and the shelter of ginormous stands.
Championship racing is different. The racers constantly changed pace as they jostled for position – with Botswana’s Thesipo Masalela setting the pace in the opening lap.
Gusts of wind rip through Scotstoun, whipping up the 74 Commonwealth flags behind the finish line. The heatwave in the south of England, it is safe to say, did not make its way to Glasgow.
Kerr’s face has greeted every commuter arriving into Glasgow, his image looming large on the billboards outside Central Station. He slicked back his hair before the starting gun, having had a fresh trim a few hours before the race. He knew this was his moment to shine.
‘This is absolutely incredible,’ he said. ‘Doing it in front of the Scottish crowd where I learned how to race. I came here week after week as a kid. I didn’t waste any energy. I knew the opportunity would open up and I had enough energy to put a gap on them in the last few hundred. I went early to save everyone some stress.
‘With the World Indoors and going after the record in London, this was the one we had circled on the calendar before any of that.
‘I didn’t put together my performance I wanted in Birmingham 2022. I think a British crowd deserved more from me – I owed them that for sure.
No Scotsman has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year since Andy Murray in 2016. The bookies had Kerr as joint favourite with Jude Bellingham to be named sports personality of the year before this race. This victory may well nudge the odds in his favour.
Interest in middle distance racing has waned over the years. Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, and Steve Cram enjoyed a golden era in the 1980s. This race felt like a resurrection.
