Road to Paris 2024: Kerr and Yee tear it up

Athletics 28 May 24

Josh Kerr and Alex Yee were the shining stars on the road to Paris 2024 this week, running to victory on the track and the blue carpet.

Kerr stuns in the mile

Steve Cram's British record in the mile stood for 39 years, until Josh Kerr came along.

At the Eugene Diamond League, Kerr blasted round the track to clock a magical time of 3:45.34 to take victory and finally topple Cram's record.

The win was even sweeter as the 1500m world champion led through the final 800m and once again beat Norweigan rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen to the post.

The two have been fierce rivals on the track in the past year, ever since Kerr pipped Ingebrigtsen to the post at last summer's world championships and every meeting since has been tasty.

Fellow Brits Neil Gourley and 2022 world champion Jake Wightman were close behind in fourth and fifth respectively ahead of what is set to be a mouthwatering race in Paris.

The meet in Eugene also saw Keely Hodgkinson take victory in the women's 800m in a world leading time of 1:55.78. The Olympic silver medallist powered past Mary Moraa in the final 200m to open her season in style.

What they said:

"I felt very strong through the first (kilometre) and I was like, you know what, it’s time to press and push and see what these guys have got," said Kerr.

"If anyone’s going to do it, I’m going to do it.

"These guys I’m racing against are going to get better and better each month and I need to do the same to try and stay ahead."

What's next:

Athletics action ramps up with the Oslo and Stockholm Diamond League this week before all eyes turn to the European Championships in Rome.

Yee returns with bold victory

Alex Yee made his return to Olympic triathlon for the first time since September 2023 with a stunning World Triathlon Championship Series victory in Caligari.

The Tokyo 2020 individual silver medallist had not raced the Olympic distance since his disappointing outing at the Series Final in Pontevedra last year, where he finished 29th, but recovered in style to lay down a maker ahead of Paris 2024.

After the race was delayed for 30 minutes due to the weather conditions, Yee put in a speedy second lap of the swim to leave him in strong contention.

From there, he eased himself into the leading pack on the bike before breaking away alongside New Zealand rival Hayden Wilde on the 10km run.

The duo admitted that they never fail to spur each other on when they battle it out, but it was Yee who ultimately came away victorious, overhauling Wilde the moment his feet hit the blue carpet to seal victory.

The win marked Yee's Sardinia hat-trick, having won in Caligari in both 2022 and 2023 as well.

What they said:

"I hope you guys are enjoying what [Hayden and I] are putting on," said Yee.

"It's everything that I have and, speaking for Hayden, it's probably everything he has.

"We are just trying to make racing as exciting as possible. I hope it carries on for the rest of the year."

What's next:

The World Triathlon Championship Series returns to Hamburg in July, with athletes competing in sprint and relay events.

Reid stamps her name on Worlds

Emma Reid marked the end of the judo Olympic qualification period with a brilliant world championship bronze in Abu Dhabi.

The 29-year-old has enjoyed a stellar past month after picking up back-to-back Grand Slam bronzes in Dushanbe and Astana.

Reid successfully came through her -78kg bronze medal match against European champion Audrey Tcheuméo in dramatic fashion.

The French judoka looked set to clinch bronze, pinning down Reid early and the clock ticking towards the 10 second mark before Reid overturned the hold with just a second remaining.

The roles were reversed and Reid pinned her opponent for 20 seconds to clinch the medal herself.

What they said:

"Everything I thought was not achievable for me is happening," she said.

"I wanted to believe it all deep down, these medals and performances but when it’s happening it's hard to force my brain to accept it.

"I can go into a Games feeling confident in my ability, ready to give a good performance."

What's next:

With the Olympics just around the corner, British judokas have just a couple of international events avaliable to enter in the next two months.

The final boat qualified

Going to an event dubbed 'The Regatta of Death' is never the most glamourous outing for a rower.

The event, which is officially known as the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta is one of the most brutal in the calendar, unless you're Britain's Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Rebecca Wilde.

The pair crossed the finish line in second place in the women's double sculls final to become the last crew to qualify their boat for Paris 2024.

Their success means that Team GB will have a total of 10 boats on the start line at this summer's Olympic Games.

Under grey skies and pouring rain, the duo finished second in their heat before coming through the repechage to make the final where they made every stroke count, finishing second behind the Czech Republic to seal their quota spot.

There was further British success at the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, the last international regatta before Paris 2024, where British boats scooped five gold medals plus one silver and one bronze.

What they said:

"I can't believe we’ve qualified the boat for Paris," said Wilde.

"I was listening to Mathilda’s words the whole way down, listening to what she was saying and trying to think about anything or anyone else.

"In the last 200m I just wanted to get to the line.

"We're going to have a few days off then all eyes on Paris and see what we can do there."

What's next:

British rowers now lie in wait to see if they will be selected for the Paris 2024 Olympic team.

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