Josh Kerr of Brooks Beasts finishes fifth in Weltklasse Zürich 1500...
In a race hyped up as the first meeting between the top four finishers in the Paris Olympic 1500 meter race between champion and Oregon alum Cole Hocker, Kerr, bronze medalist and Notre Dame grad Yared Nuguse, & Tokyo Olympic champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen, it was ultimately Nuguse who stole the show.
Ingebrigtsen went with the two pacemakers, who went through the first 800 meters in 1:51.17, then took the lead right after the bell from second pacemaker Elliot Giles of Great Britain.
As they headed down the backstretch, only Nuguse went with Ingebrigtsen, ultimately catching him with about 40 meters to go to take the win in 3:29.21.
Ingebrigtsen was second in 3:29.52, while Hocker was third in 3:30.46.
Niels Laros of the Netherlands went past Kerr to take fourth in 3:31.23, with Kerr fourth in 3:31.46.
Courtesy of NBC Sports and the Wanda Diamond League, here is the race (may be geoblocked outside the USA):
In a post race interview, Kerr said, "I didn't quite have it tonight, but sometimes, that's the way it goes."
He confirmed that he will race in Sunday's New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on the streets of New York on Sunday, joining Brooks Beasts teammates Waleed Suliman, Henry Wynne, and Kayley DeLay, as well as Pasco native and US steeplechase Olympian Marisa Howard.
Kerr is the defending 5th Avenue Mile champion, and the race will conclude his 2024 campaign. He will skip the Wanda Diamond League final in Brussels.
"I'm just looking to finish out the season and make sure that my body is rested and ready for next year. That's my biggest thing right now is getting ready for those Grand Slam meets next year, and making sure that my body's staying within its zone of what it's capable of."
In other events involving athletes with Washington ties, Seattle resident Nia Akins, who left the Brooks Beasts after the Paris Olympics, finished eighth in a crowded women's 800 meters.
Akins ran 1:59.85, as Kenya's Mary Moraa, the defending world champion and Olympic bronze medalist in this event, took the win in 1:57.08.
Washington State alum CJ Allen finished fifth in the 400 hurdles, running 48.20, as Jamaica's Roshawn Clarke won in 47.49.
The Wanda Diamond League season concludes next Friday and Saturday with the Allianz Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussels to essentially end the 2024 pro season.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League, the Weltklasse Zürich, Brooks Running, and the New York Road Runners contributed to this report.
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