Josh Kerr has revealed that he was gifted a “Commonwealth Games hopeful” t-shirt as a child and that he still has the t-shirt at home.
The mile world record holder and Glasgow 2026 gold medal contender cut his teeth as a competitor back in 2011, racing at tracks around Scotland, including the Scotstoun Stadium where the Athletics and Para Athletics will be held in just over a week’s time.
Now that young “hopeful” is running 3mins 42.66, and keen to get a gold in Glasgow and put on a show for his home crowd. Kerr, 28, said: “I grew up in youth academies for Commonwealth Games future hopefuls and that will never leave me.
"I still have the T-shirt that says: Scottish Commonwealth Games hopeful! It was a bit of a rough T-shirt back then, but there’s definitely a lot of memories held in it. So, to be able to go out there and represent my country, in my country, in front of a home crowd, in the Commonwealth Games, you know, that's all I want for my career.”
Athletics and Para Athletics events will take place over six days at Scotstoun Stadium from Monday 27 July to Saturday 1 August 2026, with 59 gold medals up for grabs. The Men’s and Women’s Mile finals are run on Saturday 1 August, with a small number of tickets remaining in the heats on 29 July and 30 July.
Kerr will spearhead a strong field in the “Commonwealth Mile” alongside fellow Scots Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley. He added: “We ran the fast time and now it's time to race the best guys in the Commonwealth.
"So, I'm not too worried about times right now, which is nice and relaxing, to be honest. I'm not battling machines and battling personalities, so it'll be a much more fun time.
"I think that would be one way of capping off a great couple of weeks.”
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He made a “bold” prediction he would go for the world record earlier this year and says going back to Scotstoun will be emotional. As a young athlete, Kerr was no stranger to the Glasgow track, and he even tried lots of different events, including shot putt and high jump there.
In July 2011, almost 15 years to the day that he will run the Commonwealth Mile, the record books show Kerr ran 4m30.91 as a 13-year-old. He also threw the shot 7m 34cm and did a 1m55cm high jump.
He said: “We'd bounce between Meadowbank, where I was training for Edinburgh Athletic Club, Grangemouth and then Scotstoun, which was the fast track! It was the new and improved sexy blue track. I learned how to race over there.
“It's going to be very nostalgic to be back and to have family in the crowd as well. Back in the day they’d be there with a picnic of sandwiches, spending the whole day at Scotstoun. And I was picking all sorts of distances to run for me and my brother. There'll be javelin and high jump and all sorts in the records. A well-rounded athlete winning team points; it was all about team points. It’s an absolute honour to go back and represent Scotland there.”
Kerr says pulling on a Scotland vest will be special: “I take a lot of inspiration from other Scotland teams - the football and rugby. They're able to pull the Scotland top on a little bit more frequently than myself, and they take a lot of pride in the shirt. It's going to be a feeling that I will have when I pull that shirt on. I haven't done it for four years.
"The 2022 Commonwealth Games, I didn't do myself justice, and so now it's time to again have pride in the shirt and go out and represent Scotland as well as I can.”
Talking about how he thinks Team Scotland will do, Kerr said, “I think it's going to be a success, making sure we have a buzz in camp and we're all sharing stories and hyping each other up. A home Games is something that not a lot of people will have dealt with in their time.
“I think there's a pressure that comes with it as well and using that to our advantage and realising that the people in that stadium want us to do well. Even if we're not the most famous athlete ever, having that Scotland vest on, they'll definitely be cheering your name
“That's what it's about. I think we live with the underdog story a little bit. It doesn't matter if it's an athlete stepping onto the track or their surface for the first time ever in their national vest, or if it's someone that's kind of been there and done that for a long, long time, you know, the likes of Jake Wightman.
"I think we're then going to have some great results, a buzz around camp and I'm really looking forward to getting into that atmosphere again.”
Glasgow 2026 is the largest sporting event in the UK this year, with 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories set to compete in 10 sports and six Para sports, in four iconic venues across the city.
The final ticket drop is on sale now. Fans are encouraged not to miss out and get their hands on their tickets today, available at glasgow2026.com/tickets.
