Josh Kerr bounces back from bad performance in Jamaica to win 1500m at Grand Slam Track/Miami...
MIRAMAR, Florida--Josh Kerr (photo courtesy Grand Slam Track) of the Brooks Beasts atoned for his showing in the Kingston stop by winning the 1500 meters Friday afternoon at the Miami stop of Grand Slam Track at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar.
In Jamaica last month, the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medalist at 1500 meters finished fifth in his specialty, and was dead last in the 800.
After Olympic 1500 bronze medalist and Notre Dame alum Yared Nuguse took the field out at a modest 60.57 first 400, he gradually ramped up the pace, dropping to 1:58 at 800 and 2:55 at 1200.
Kerr was patient, running between third and fifth for most of the race, then struck with less than 200 to go, swinging outside and out sprinting the field over the last 150 to take the win in a season best of 3:34.51, doing so by running a 12.82 last 100, the fastest of all eight in the field.
Nuguse was second in 3:34.65, and Olympic 1500m champ Cole Hocker was third in 3:34.79.
Kethobogile Haingura of Botswana was the highest placing 800m specialist, finishing fourth in 3:35.21.
After the race, he said, "There was a lot of emotion behind that finish. I wanted to get back to my best, and this (the win) was a step towards it."
With the victory, he picked up 12 points and a slight advantage going into Saturday's 800 meter race, which is scored on a 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
To win the $100,000 for the Miami stop, Kerr will probably need to finish no worse than third, beat both Nuguse and Hocker, and beat at least two of the four 800 meter specialists in the field.
Washington State alum Maribel Caicedo, competing in her second race of the outdoor season, finished seventh in the 100 hurdles, running 13.12, as winner Masai Russell set an American record, running 12.17, the second fastest time in world history.
The top three all finished under 12.40, as runner-up Tia Jones ran 12.19, and Ackera Nugent of Jamaica finished in 12.34.
Saturday, Caicedo races over 100 meters against the same field who ran the hurdles at 3:10 pm Pacific, while Kerr faces the 1500 field over 800 meters Saturday at 4:05 pm Pacific.
The CW will televise the final two days of the Miami stop of Grand Prix Track, starting at 2:30 pm Pacific.
In Corvallis at the Oregon State High Performance meet at the Whyte Track & Field Center on the campus of Oregon State University, Leo Daschbach and Ben Macmillan went 1-2 in the men's invitational 1500.
Daschbach ran 3:43.01 to Macmillan's 3:44.49.
In the women's 1500, Washington's Julia David-Smith was second in 4:15.89.
Washington's Isaac Briggs won the men's invitational steeplechase in 8:55.30, while Cruize Corvin was third in 9:05.73.
Husky redshirt freshman Nathan Neil, competing unattached, won the men's invitational 5000 in 13:50.78.
Washington grad transfer Maggie Liebich was second in her debut in the steeplechase, running 10:10.53, as winner Katja Pattis of Idaho pulled away from Liebich in the last 500, clocking 10:04.33.
Gonzaga's Jessica Frydenlund was fourth in 10:21.73.
On the field, Central Washington's Payton Elenbaas was third in the women's hammer with a throw of 161-7 (49.26m).
Eastern Washington's Dyvhon Fonoti was second in the women's discus at 155-7 (47.42m).
Mason Moore in the men's discus (153-3/46.72m) and Gilana Wollman in the women's long jump (18-2.5/5.55m) picked up a pair of third place finishes for Eastern Washington.
The meet resumes Saturday.
NOTE: Grand Slam Track and the sports information offices of Oregon State University, University of Washington, Eastern Washington, Central Washington, and Gonzaga contributed to this report.
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