Britain’s Josh Kerr claimed the men’s 1500m title at the World Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday, clocking 3:29.35 and shaving 0.03 seconds off his own Hungarian all-comers’ record.
The 28-year-old ran much of the race buried in the pack before working his way to the leader’s shoulder with 300 meters to go — exactly where he wanted to be.
Germany’s Robert Farken set an honest early tempo, hitting 400 meters in 57.09 and 800 meters in 1:55.29. USA’s Yared Nuguse then surged hard with 500 meters remaining, leading through 1,200 meters in 2:49.91 before Kerr made his move.
Australia’s Cam Myers tracked Kerr and pushed hard to the line, but a 26.02-second final 200 meters was enough for the Briton to hold him off. Myers finished second in 3:29.68. USA’s Hobbs Kessler took bronze in 3:30.73, with Olympic champion Cole Hocker fourth in 3:30.74.
“I didn’t race a lot this season so I kind of came here fresh and ready to go,” Kerr said. “Cameron is an awesome athlete, he was pushing a lot but I managed to look at the screen and see what the gap was.”
Cam Myers had no complaints about his run. “I ran the perfect race,” he said. “I thought with 200m to go that I was going to win and that is an exciting feeling. Josh was just too strong today and that shows why he is a world record-holder.”
The win adds to Kerr’s 2023 outdoor 1500m world title and his two world indoor wins over 3,000 meters.
Norway’s multiple global championships champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen missed the race after securing the 5,000m title earlier in the championship.
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World Ultimate Championship 1500m men — final, Budapest, Sept. 13, 2026
1. Josh Kerr, Great Britain, 3:29.35 2. Cameron Myers, Australia, 3:29.68 3. Hobbs Kessler, United States, 3:30.73 4. Cole Hocker, United States, 3:30.74 (season best) 5. Yared Nuguse, United States, 3:30.76 6. Azeddine Habz, France, 3:30.96 7. Ethan Strand, United States, 3:31.30 8. Timothy Cheruiyot, Kenya, 3:31.47 9. Jake Wightman, Great Britain, 3:31.56 10. Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech, Kenya, 3:31.77 11. Robert Farken, Germany, 3:32.90 12. Isaac Nader, Portugal, 3:39.54 DNS. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Norway
