(Reuters) – New Zealand high jumper Hamish Kerr faced nerves at the world indoor athletics championships before clinching the gold medal on Sunday. Kerr revealed that he had to retreat to the bathroom to regain composure during the competition. Despite the nerves, Kerr managed to clear a height of 2.31 meters to secure victory, later adding two centimeters to his personal best with a world-leading jump of 2.36 meters in Glasgow, providing a significant boost ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Kerr’s triumph made him the third New Zealander to claim a world indoor title, joining the likes of shot putters Valerie Adams and Tom Walsh. Having previously won bronze at the 2022 event in Belgrade and holding the title of Commonwealth Games champion, Kerr had the necessary experience for such high-pressure competitions, although he admitted to struggling with nerves in Glasgow.
“I wasn’t calm and relaxed,” Kerr confessed to New Zealand media. “I knew I needed to focus on myself today and in a sport where there are so many other things going on the only thing I can control is my emotion and technical queues. So as the competition progressed it got harder to focus on that as the outcome became more and more important. So I did go to the bathroom a few times to just sit there and do a bit of breathing work and bring myself back to the present.”
The competition saw Kerr finish ahead of American Shelby McEwen and South Korea’s bronze medallist Woo Sang-hyeok. Kerr struggled to clear 2.34 meters and missed his first attempt at 2.36 meters after raising the bar, but he successfully cleared it on his second try. Reflecting on his performance, Kerr expressed confidence in the progress made by the New Zealand team and acknowledged the tough competition he would face at the upcoming Olympics.
“It’s just a great sign of things to come, the work we’ve been doing in New Zealand and the approach we’ve taken to this season is really working,” Kerr stated. “But at the same time I know going into the Olympics there are some big boys who are doing some pretty good training and some good stuff behind closed doors and so it’s going to be a good challenge and something I can’t wait to get amongst.”
New Zealand’s success continued as Geordie Beamish secured a surprise gold in the men’s 1,500m event at the indoor world meet, fueled by a strong final lap. With additional silver medals for shot putter Tom Walsh and pole vaulter Eliza McCartney, New Zealand achieved a record four-medal haul in Glasgow, surpassing their previous performance at the 2016 event in Portland, Oregon. The team’s success signified a promising future for New Zealand athletics on the global stage.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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