Josh Kerr claimed his third global title on Saturday (21) with a perfectly judged performance to win the men’s 3000m at the Kujawy Pomorze World Athletics Indoor Championships, regaining the crown he last held in Glasgow two years ago.
The 2023 world 1500m champion and double Olympic silver medallist over the distance prevailed in a high-quality, stacked field featuring several of the sport’s biggest names.
Kerr showed he is firmly back to his best after a calf injury derailed his challenge in last year’s world 1500m final.
Kerr overcomes Hocker and Schrub
Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker set the early pace, leading through the opening kilometre before Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune and Getnet Wale took control at the front.
Lurking just behind, however, were Kerr and France’s Yann Schrub, the European 10km record holder.
Kerr made his move on the penultimate lap, moving onto Yihune’s shoulder as the for the final lap. As the bell clanged, he surged into the lead, with Hocker and Schrub in close pursuit.
In the home straight, Hocker swung wide in a bid to replicate his late heroics from the Paris Olympics, but Kerr held firm to take gold in 7:35.56.
Hocker finished just 0.14 seconds behind for silver, while Schrub claimed bronze a further 0.01 back—securing the first global medal of his career.