Kerr expects 'vicious' clash with Ingebrigtsen in 1500 final / Photo: Jewel SAMAD - AFP
Kerr expects 'vicious' clash with Ingebrigtsen in 1500 final
Josh Kerr says his clash with bitter rival and defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Tuesday's men's 1500 metres Olympic final will be one of the "most vicious and hardest" people have ever seen.
Ingebrigtsen has had several digs at Kerr since the Briton edged him in last year's 1500m final at the world championships.
“It is difficult to refer to him as a rival when he is never there," the 23-year-old Norwegian said in August after Kerr opted to miss the European Championships in Rome.
"He is known as the Brit who never competes."
Kerr, 26, said after he finished second behind Ingebrigtsen in Sunday's semi-final in Paris, with the two eye-balling each other for the last 20 metres, that his talking would be on the track.
"The spectators and viewers should just be expecting one of the most vicious and hardest 1500s that the sport's ever seen," said Kerr.
"I'm ready to go after it, I think we all are, there's been a lot of talking over the last kind of 12 months, even two years, so I'm just looking to settle that a little bit on Tuesday and give it my best performance."
Kerr, who took bronze behind the Norwegian in Tokyo three years ago, said championships were what his career was all about even if Ingebrigtsen thought he avoided him on the Diamond League circuit.
"I'm here, it's my fifth major championship final in a row," he said.
"I don't miss these because I'm good at what I do and I'm going to show that in the final."
Ingebrigtsen for his part jokingly held his hands to his mouth when told it was time for the talk to end.
The Norwegian, who lost the previous world final to another Briton, Jake Wightman, again played down the suggestion that the Olympic final was between him and Kerr.
'I don't know. I think what they're doing, we're also doing," said Ingebrigtsen, who dons a mask after racing to avoid catching germs. "It's a competition."
"Racing is what you want it to be. I thrive in the competitive scene, that's why I do this.
"So, maybe there's a difference among us. Some people like all this stuff."
Kerr said he had dreamed of winning Olympic gold since he was a young boy growing up in Scotland.
"I've been picturing it for my whole life so it's going to be another day in the office for me," he said.
"I'm just going to put on a performance in front of millions of people, that's what we're here to do, is to give our sport the best crowd experience we can, so it's my job.
"He's going to try and win, I'm going to try and win and we'll see who wins."
St.Ch.Russell--EWJ
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