Josh Kerr owes Scotstoun Stadium a debt of gratitude.
It is, he says, the track on which he learnt to race and having honed the skills he developed as a teenager, he’s put them to good use but deploying them to pick up Olympic medals and world titles.
Returning to Scotstoun for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games as the newly-crowned mile world record holder will, he acknowledges, bring back many fond memories for the 28-year-old from Edinburgh.
“I learned how to race at Scotstoun and some of my biggest performances learning curves were there,” the 2023 world 1500m champion says.
“I wouldn't say that I've had a breakthrough performance from a time standpoint at Scotstoun but a lot of things in the 1500m really stood out for me against some of the Kilbarchan and the Glaswegian guys. I saw level that they were able to bring.
“So it'll be nice to go back to Scotstoun (for Glasgow 2026) because I’ve got some really fun memories from there.
“A lot of tactical races happen at Scotstoun and so I think that’s why we have so many amazing Scottish middle distance runners.”
Kerr heads into Glasgow 2026 in incredible form. Having broken the world mile record in London last weekend with a time of 3 minutes 42.66 seconds, he’s aiming for another performance of that quality in Glasgow.
Kerr has been based in America, specifically New Mexico, for over a decade now - long enough for him to develop a distinctly American twang - but he retains a deep-rooted Scottish connection, which is why success on home soil in the coming days would mean quite so much to him.
“I've lived out in the States for a long time - it's where my training's based, it’s where I met my wife and it's where we have our house but (Scotland) is where my roots are and so I want to do myself proud and do to Scotland proud, as well,” he says.
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“Years ago, I was in a Scottish development squad talking about the Commonwealth Games and that is the kind of stuff that you don't forget.
“I'm so proud to represent the Scottish vest again and hopefully in a much better way than I did at Birmingham 2022 (at which Kerr was twelfth in the 1500m final). That was not a representative performance from me. Obviously everyone gets thrown some curveballs along the way but when there's a competition that happens every four years, you want to be on your game and so it's a big comeback moment for me and to do it in Scotland versus another Commonwealth country is very exciting.”
Kerr’s primary challenger for gold in the mile at Glasgow 2026 is, on paper at least, likely to be someone he knows very, very well.
Jake Wightman and Kerr first raced each other as teenagers when they were clubmates at Edinburgh AC and both have gone on to become world 1500m champion, with Wightman first winning the world title in 2022 before Kerr replicated the feat the following year.
Rarely, though, since the pair became world-class middle-distance runners, have they gone head-to-head on the international stage while both in top form and fully fit.
With both injury-free and running well this season, though, the signs are that it could be a Scottish 1-2 in the mile at Glasgow 2026. And battling his compatriot down the home straight as they both push for the gold medal would, admits Kerr, be the dream scenario from a Scottish perspective.
“Jake and I have almost been taking turns and so I think both of us just want us to be fit and healthy and ready to go at it, to be honest,” says Kerr of their rivalry at Glasgow 2026.
“Jake led the way back in 2022 (with his world title) and I know he was disappointed with his performance at the Commonwealth Games (where he won 1500m bronze) but coming off a first world championship win, I couldn't even imagine having to go into another camp, set up and go again. So having a bit more of a free run at it this year I think will help him.
“It will be the same for me, not having to do loads of travel between the Commonwealth Games and London Diamond League
“So we're looking to get multiple people on that podium for Scotland, and I think it's not a far-fetched dream.
“(Third-ranked Scot) Neil [Gourley] has been struggling with some stuff but, as a three-ball, I think we're all looking to be in that final and go after the big medals. So, I think we'll be dangerous from a lot of angles.
“Personally, I just want to make sure that I do myself justice, which is go out there and compete for the win and, at the end of the day, if someone wants to beat me at my own game and work harder than me and tactically make better decisions and moves, I'll shake their hand and move on.
“But I feel like I have a massive opportunity to go out there and win the Commonwealth Games for Scotland, in Scotland.”
