Britain’s Josh Kerr won his first Grand Slam Track title and $100,000 (£75,000) in prize money for a fifth-place finish in the 800m in Miami.
The world 1500m champion also won the recent men’s 1500m short distance race, and he secured a maximum of 12 points from the event.
In a social media post, Kerr shared his 1500m win with a caption: “1500m ✅”
Netizens commented on the post and said: “Great race! Congratulations Josh!”, “Miami Kerr hits different”, “Just gotta get back in that rythm happy to see you strong king 💪💪💨”, and “So happy for Josh!”
The points from both 1500m and 800m events were combined to determine the overall winner. The 27-year-old Briton tied with American Yareed Nuguse on 16 points after their performances in the 800m race. However, Kerr claimed the title thanks to his higher finish in both races.
With this, Kerr expressed: “If I keep progressing the way I am, then I can come away with two more slams this year and be really proud.”
After having a tough start to the 2025 season due to illness and injury, Kerr showed that he is getting back to form by finishing with a personal best of 1:45.01.
Other athletes’ performances
Canada’s Olympic silver medallist Marco Arop won the men’s 800m with a final time of 1:43.69. He beat American Yared Nuguse, who finished second in 1:43.75. Moreover, Nuguse had also been runner-up in the 1500m.
American Olympic 100m bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden also beat Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas by a narrow margin to win the women’s short sprints group. Thomas ran a season’s best of 21.95 seconds to win her preferred 200m event after finishing fourth in the 100m. However, Jefferson-Wooden, who won the 100m, set a personal best of 22.15 in the 200m to secure third place and win by just one point.
Britain’s Daryll Neita also finished eighth in the women’s 200m with a final time of 22.93.
Furthermore, in the men’s long sprints, Matthew Hudson-Smith ran 44.37 seconds to place third in the 400m. The athlete finished fifth overall, following his seventh place in the 200m.
On the last day of Grand Slam Track action, Britain’s George Mills aims for victory in the men’s 5,000m after his third-place finish in the 3,000m. Zharnel Hughes will compete in the 200m after finishing fourth in the 100m, while Amber Anning will race in the women’s 200m.
There will be two more three-day Grand Slam Track events following the Miami meet — one in Philadelphia starting on May 30, and another in Los Angeles beginning on June 27.