Josh Kerr Celebrates Olympic Silver with First Drink Since Christmas

Josh Kerr was out celebrating until the early hours, indulging in his first drinks since Christmas, and managed only about 20 minutes of sleep before facing a slew of interviews the day after securing an Olympic silver in the men’s 1500 meters.

The 26-year-old Scotsman finished behind Cole Hocker of the US in the race held in Paris on Tuesday evening, besting his arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who clinched gold in Tokyo three summers ago.

According to his first-ever coach, Eric Fisher, Kerr should expect a hero’s welcome upon his return to Scotland.

The silver medalist shared with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday morning: “Our race was at 8.50pm last night, followed by a press conference at 11.30pm. We managed media and drug testing until then. After that, I got to spend some time with family, coaching staff, and brands that support me.”

He recounted how they returned around 4am, caught brief sleep, and then began the day’s interviews. “I feel great, I do, I feel great,” he conveyed.

Speaking about celebrating with a drink, he said he hadn’t had one since Christmas but cheered with his coaching staff, teammates, and family. “It was difficult to find, but just a pint. There was a lot of champagne being passed around, but I’m more of a pint guy,” he explained. “It felt nice to relax around family after such an intense few months of preparation.”

He didn’t specify how many pints he had but described it as “a good handful” enough to cause a headache. “Head was sore this morning, I’m not going to lie,” he added candidly.

In another medal success for Team GB on Tuesday, teenage skateboarder Sky Brown earned bronze in the women’s park event. The 16-year-old defied a dislocated shoulder to secure third place, becoming a double Olympic medalist following her bronze in Tokyo.

Regarding her celebrations, Brown mentioned, “I’m definitely thinking about going around Paris tonight with some buddies, checking out the Eiffel Tower, and doing some touristy stuff. Probably on my skateboard. Why walk when you have a skateboard?” she quipped.

The men’s park skateboard competition begins on Wednesday, featuring 51-year-old Andy Macdonald representing Team GB. Brown noted, “Age doesn’t matter when it comes to this sport. We have Andy Mac, 51 years old, competing, and it shows age doesn’t matter. We also have an 11-year-old competing for the girls, which is really cool. You can start whenever.”

Macdonald is the oldest competitor in Olympic skateboarding history. Brown also commented on the sport’s evolution, stating, “It’s changing so much. The Olympics is definitely helping with that.”

She added, “I think everyone saw the girls yesterday and in Tokyo and thought… that is sick. The next generation coming up is crazy, and the skill levels are increasing every day while the gender gap is closing.”

Source: BBC Radio 4’s Today programme