Hamish Kerr in the high jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 (© Getty Images)
At the last World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Hamish Kerr had to settle for joint high jump bronze with Gianmarco Tamberi as Woo Sanghyeok struck gold for Korea.
Two years on, at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, the New Zealander stood a class apart at the very top of the global tree.
In his national uniform, the 27-year-old from Dunedin was as formidable a force as the New Zealand All Blacks rugby union team, who have yet to lose on Scottish soil in 120 years.
With five first-time clearances, all the way from 2.15m to 2.31m, Kerr had the gold medal virtually in the bag before his first failure.
That came at 2.34m and, after Shelby McEwen of the US fluffed his one shot at that height, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion soared to new heights to place a considerable cherry on top of his maiden global gold.
With McEwen confirmed in second and Woo third, both courtesy of 2.28m clearances, Kerr consulted Robbie Grabarz, the 2012 Olympic silver medallist and 2016 world indoor runner-up from Great Britain who has now moved into coaching, and chose to attack 2.36m.
That was not only 3cm beyond the world lead that McEwen jointly shared, and 2cm above the national record Kerr set last year, but the exact height of the Oceania record established by Tim Forsyth back in 1997 and equalled by fellow Australian Brandon Starc in 2018.
The new world indoor champion clipped the bar with the first of his two chances but arced over with his second, clasping his hands to his face in astonishment as he hit the landing bed.
“It's still sinking in,” confessed Kerr. “It gives me goose bumps to think that I'm a world champion.
“We put all these plans in place – set all these big goals – months in advance, sitting around a meeting table in a little room in New Zealand.
“To actually come over here and achieve them… I mean, dream big and achieve, right? That's what I've done today.
“I knew I was in good form. Each time I cleared a height, everyone else started missing the bars. I had to keep going to the bathroom, just to sit there and get my bearings, because I couldn't watch them out in the middle going for their jumps.
“To come out the other side then get that record with a last jump is unbelievable.”
Woo went into the competition looking to join elevated company, Javier Sotomayor and Stefan Holm having been the only back-to-back winners of the event in world indoor history, but looked ill at ease, needing three shots to clear 2.24m.
Six others were still in contention as the stakes were raised to 2.28m.
Kerr was the only one to nail it first time. Woo and then McEwen succeeded on their second attempts, making it a battle of the continents – Oceania, North America and Asia – to decide the medal order.
Ukrainian Oleh Doroshchuk, Jan Stefela of the Czech Republic, McEwen’s US teammate Vernon Turner and Pole Norbert Kobielski all exited, finishing fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh respectively with their 2.24m clearances.
At 2.31m, Kerr maintained his clear card. Woo drew two blanks. McEwen knocked off the bar twice, then chose to pass for a one-stop shop in the last chance saloon at 2.34m.
It was not to be for him. For the peerless Kerr, it was different.
“It's strange,” he pondered, draped in a New Zealand flag. “I have mixed emotions now because there will be a target on my back.
“I know the guys will be coming for me as they come into form outdoors, ready for Olympic year. But to be jumping this high early season has got to be good.”
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
| MEN'S HIGH JUMP MEDALLISTS | ||
| 🥇 | Hamish Kerr 🇳🇿 NZL | 2.36m =AR WL |
| 🥈 | Shelby McEwen 🇺🇸 USA | 2.28m |
| 🥉 | Woo Sanghyeok 🇰🇷 KOR | 2.28m |
| Full results | ||
