Ahead of his return to the city where he won his first world title, Josh Kerr explains why he skipped the European Championships, hits back at Jakob Ingebrigtsen's criticism and reveals he's still waiting to be paid for his world record.

Josh Kerr arrives in Budapest this week for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in the form of his life. After starting the year with a world indoor 3000m title in Poland, he set a world mile record of 3:42.66 in London in July and followed it by sweeping to an emphatic victory in the mile at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

At times he has seemed invincible, so why did he not race at the European Championships in Birmingham? In fact he has not raced since winning gold in Glasgow on August 1, choosing to rest and recuperate back in the United States instead of going for gold in Birmingham and attacking the world 1500m record.

"I'm not going to get greedy,” he says, defending his strategy. “I'm a human being at the end of the day... I'm not a robot.”

The 28-year-old insists that going for world indoor gold, plus the world mile record, Commonwealth Games and Ultimate Championship was more than enough. If he took on any more, he says, he would risk injury – something he was not prepared to do when his long-term target is the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Also, he is keen to make the point that he could not simply turn up in Birmingham to chase the European title. "I didn't go to British Championships and I made that decision to not go,” he explains. “Three people qualified by right to go to the European Championships. I had an option to take a 1500m spot from someone that deserved it and I chose not to.”

He came under fire from his old rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen for missing Birmingham. The Norwegian returned from a long spell out following Achilles surgery to win European 5000m gold and said: “It's not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate. We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete - that is the whole point.

"So I definitely think it is ruining the sport if we are not participating. We all have different plans, but I could never see myself in that position.”

Kerr could face Ingebrigtsen, plus Olympic champion Cole Hocker and others, in the 1500m at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday, although Norwegian media has suggested Ingebrigtsen might race only the 5000m. Speaking to the media a few days ago ahead of the potential showdown in Budapest, he was not particularly in the mood to reignite a war of words with Ingebrigtsen.

"I'm very happy that he (Ingebrigtsen) is back running and racing,” he said. “I think it's great for our distance. He's one of the best 1500m and 5000m runners of all time and I'm excited to go out and race him.”

He adds: "I’m not going to lose, but I'm excited to go out there and race.”

On Ingebrigtsen’s current form, where he has lost 1500m races in Diamond League events since the European Championships, Kerr said: “I foresee some struggling, obviously, from his side... that's what it's like when you take nine, ten months off of racing. That's just life.”

Kerr was given an ‘exceptional invite’ to race at the Ultimate Championship, too, but says: “I didn't ask to be there. I didn't ask for the invite. They sent it to me. Either I'll be in trouble for not going, or I'll be in trouble for taking an invite I don't deserve. So pick your frustrations with me."

Kerr has fond memories of Budapest. He won the world 1500m title there in 2023 and describes it as “an incredibly pivotal day for me”.

Winning the Ultimate title would, he says, “cement the love and feeling for Budapest.”

The break in August has not dented his form either. “I’m in awesome shape,” he says, “so I can’t complain about where I’m at.”

There is great prize money in Budapest too but when asked whether he’s racing for cash or glory, he says: “$150,000 is a lot of money. It's not as much as other big sports, but they've earned that through years and years of continuing to push into marketing.

"At the end of the day, I’m doing it for the glory. I'm here to prove that I'm continually going to be the best 1500m runner of all time, and of our generation, at least.

“The achievements of this year have been left behind and I'm doing this now for the joy of it.”

Kerr believes, however, that today’s athletes should be paid more. “You go back and watch El Guerrouj's world mile record in 1999 and it's the same world record bonus as today. That's a bit ridiculous. I haven't had it either (the record bonus for the record in London) yet, but that’s just life. That's contracting.”

Kerr is single-minded in his athletics goals but also tries to remain balanced. Outside athletics, he reveals he is learning to speak Spanish right now. You can guarantee there will be no talking – in English or Spanish – in the moments before the race on Sunday, though.

Giving an insight into his pre-race mindset, he says: “Yeah, I like to keep to myself. I'm not looking to make friends in the call room. I think people do that when they're nervous — they try and find another nervous individual to share thoughts and feelings with, and that's just not really how I roll.

"I'm not seeing the call room as a networking event, but some athletes seem to think that it is.”