"It doesn't get any better than this," says Scot after blowing top-class field away in Glasgow.

The home crowd got what they wanted in Glasgow on Saturday night (August 1) as Josh Kerr put on a show to emphatically win the hotly anticipated men's mile at the Commonwealth Games. 

Two weeks on from breaking the 27-year-old world record for the distance with 3:42.66 in London, the Scot blew away a top-class field with a display of extraordinary closing speed and strength to hit the line in 3:54.12. 

Australia’s rising star Cameron Myers was second in 3:55.26, while Kenya’s former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot was third in 3:55.41 as the fast-finishing Welshman Jake Heyward clocked 3:55.54 for fourth. The 2022 1500m champion Olli Hoare was fifth in 3:56.28, with Scotland’s former world champion Jake Wightman sixth in 3:56.36.

The pre-race chatter had surrounded how it might all play out. Would Kerr hit the front early and go for it, would Myers take the lead and try to grind his opponents down, or might it be cagey and play into the hands of Wightman’s finishing kick?

It was Tshepiso Masaela of Botswana who made the early running and there was to be no searing pace as the front of the tightly-bunched and cagey pack went through 800m in 2:02.8. There were a few jostles, a few elbows out as the athletes fought for position and the crowd waited to see who might blink first. 

The answer came when Cheruiyot was the first of the big players to show his hand, surging from 10th to first around the 900m mark to shake things up. At that point Kerr sat 11th and, with around 500m to go, he found himself poorly positioned and boxed in. 

The 2023 world 1500m champion wrestled his way out and really began to move at the bell, surging into third behind Cheruiyot and Myers, with Heyward also in close order as the business end of the race approached. 

Would that world record have taken too much out of Kerr’s legs or did he have anything left? It turned out that there was more than enough in reserve and, with 200m to go, he put his foot to the floor to hit the front. By that stage, Wightman was the closest pursuer and it looked like there might be a two-way Scottish fight for gold on the Scotstoun track. 

Wightman later revealed that he had been nursing a calf problem that had affected his back since the Monaco Diamond League on July 10 and his challenge began to fade. Ahead, Kerr had removed all doubt as to who might be the victor. His splits between 1400m-1500m of 12.8 seconds and of 12.5 from 1500m-1600m  had sent him well clear, affording him the chance to celebrate over the remaining nine metres. No-one had an answer.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Kerr. “This is absolutely incredible. To do it in front of a Scottish crowd where I learned how to race. I came here week after week growing up as a kid.

Of the contest, he added: "I think that's what pure racing is. I'm here to do that and win gold medals, and whatever that looks like - whether it's to go out and time trial 3:42 or battle through the chaos - I really enjoyed it. It was fantastic.

“I knew an opportunity would open up. Jake was on the outside and he’s such a great closer. But I had enough energy to put a gap on him in the last 200m.”

On a night that was packed full of Australian success, the nation’s athletes swept all of the podium places in a women’s mile race that represented the final track action of the Games. 

Abbey Caldwell was the first of the trio to hit the line, winning in 4:39.31 from Jessica Hull (4:39.86) and Claudio Hollingsworth (4:40.20). Canada’s Lucia Stafford, who had been leading at the bell, was fourth in 4:40.46 while Scotland’s Sarah Calvert was seventh in 4:40.90 and Jemma Reekie 11th in 4:42.93.

Brilliant distance running battles have been a feature of these Games and the trend continued with a men’s 5000m final that was won by Matthew Kipsang. 

A large group was led through the bell by Ky Robinson, who had his sights set on emulating his Australian team-mate Rose Davies and completing a 10,000m/5000m double in Glasgow. For the opening half of the final lap that looked like being a very serious possibility but, down the back straight, Kipsang moved past along with his fellow Kenyan Cornelius Kemboi. 

It was the former who began to open a decisive gap and he ultimately won in 13:21.61. Robinson, who looked like he might slip out of the medals entirely at one stage, rallied in the closing 100m to take silver in 13:24.70, while bronze went to India’s Gulveer Singh in 13:24.95.

Northern Ireland’s Nick Griggs was sixth in 13:25.84, while British champion and 10,000m bronze medallist David Mullarkey of the Isle of Man was 11th in 13:32.36 and Scotland’s Andy Butchart 16th in 13:55.31.

In the men’s 800m final, Wyclife Kinyamal had looked on course to win his third consecutive title until the strong late surge of Navasky Anderson saw the Jamaican sweep past to gold in 1:45.33. Australia’s Luke Boyes was second in 1:45.93 as the Kenyan had to settle for bronze in 1:46.12.

England’s Ben Pattison left himself with too much to do and finished fourth in 1:46.25, while his team-mate Alex Botterill, who had made contact with Kinyamal as he tried to get through on the inside in the final strides, was fifth in 1:46.26.

There was drama on and off the track during the men’s 4x100m final as Australia took gold in 38.07. It had initially looked like Canada had won silver in 38.11, only for them to be disqualified over a problem with the opening changeover. That meant an upgrade from bronze for Nigeria in 38.12, while Ghana (38.13) were moved up from fourth.

With South Africa also being disqualified, that meant the England team that had initially come sixth in 38.71 wound up fourth.

The Nigerians had appeared to be in control of the race but Rohan Browning ran a fantastic anchor leg to reel them in and land top spot for Australia.

Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson had initially been named in the 4x100m relay squad ahead of these Games but, despite her opting not to race in the end, her team-mates still took gold in the women's race. 

They clocked 42.65 to hold off Canada’s 42.76, while bronze went to Trinidad and Tobago with 43.07 ahead of Australia’s 43.09. An England team minus individual 100m silver medallist Amy Hunt finished fifth in 43.45.

The one piece of bad news for Australia on the night was that their team was disqualified from the mixed 4x400m. Jamaica took the inaugural Commonwealth title in 3:10.97 from England’s 3:11.58 and Nigeria’s 3:12.85.