There were high hopes for Team GB & NI at the World Athletics Championships on 17th September ahead of the men’s 1500m as three British athletes lined up in the final. Defending world champion Josh Kerr was in with a real chance of repeating the success he enjoyed when winning gold at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023. But fellow Brit Jake Wightman has also been running well, and he won the title back in 2022 in Eugene. Neil Gourley, who won silver at the World Indoor Championships earlier in the year, also looked like he had an outside chance of a medal.
In this article, we’ll first look at how the much-anticipated race unfolded (there’s a hint in the title!), and we’ll consider the other prospects for GB & NI gold before the World Championships conclude on Sunday.
Injury Scuppers Kerr’s Hopes of Defending Title
Britain and Northern Ireland had yet to win a medal at the Championships before the men’s 1500m, but this event was always earmarked as one of the best chances. There were even suggestions we could see a historic British clean sweep, although that was always probably wishful thinking. Such an outcome was never overly likely, even after the ever-dangerous Jakob Ingebrigtsen failed to make the final. However, the chances of the British contingent were buoyed further when current Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker was disqualified for jostling in the home straight of the semi-final.
We are disappointed by the decision to disqualify Olympic Champion Cole Hocker from the Men’s 1500m Final. We believed we had grounds for an appeal and unfortunately, that appeal was denied. pic.twitter.com/xPB9sURD41
— USATF (@usatf) September 15, 2025
With two of his main rivals out of the picture, Kerr went into the race strongly fancied by many, with sensational Dutch youngster Niels Laros also looking likely to contend. It didn’t pan out quite as expected, however, as Kerr positioned himself on the inside early on and didn’t appear to have an escape plan after being boxed in. Then, with just over 600m to go, Kerr appeared to pull up slightly, and though he looked hampered, he continued to run, albeit in obvious discomfort.
Initially, it looked as though he might have been caught by another athlete’s spikes, but then it became apparent that it was simply an injury. Either way, his race was over… along with his title defence. To his credit, Kerr limped on to at least complete the race, although his coaches and medical staff might have preferred him to stop in case he did any lasting damage.
Wightman Overachieves to Land the Silver Medal
| Position | Runner | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (Gold) | Isaac Nader | Portugal | 3:34.10 |
| 2nd (Silver) | Jake Wightman | Great Britain | 3:34.12 |
| 3rd (Bronze) | Reynold Cheruiyot | Kenya | 3:34.25 |
| 4th | Timothy Cheruiyot | Kenya | 3:34.50 |
| 5th | Niels Laros | Netherlands | 3:34.52 |
| 6th | Robert Farken | Germany | 3:35.15 |
| 7th | Federico Riva | Italy | 3:35.33 |
| 8th | Adrián Ben | Spain | 3:35.38 |
| 9th | Tshepo Tshite | South Africa | 3:35.50 |
| 10th | Neil Gourley | Great Britain | 3:35.56 |
| 11th | Samuel Pihlström | Sweden | 3:35.74 |
| 12th | Andrew Coscoran | Ireland | 3:35.87 |
| 13th | Jonah Koech | USA | 3:37.00 |
| 14th | Josh Kerr | Great Britain | 4:11.23 |
While Kerr was boxed in and out of the main action, Wightman put himself in an excellent position towards the front of the field, tracking the leaders and looking strong. He was cruising in fourth position with 500m to go and gradually moved up on the leader, Kenya’s 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot (Reynold Cheruiyot, also of Kenya but not related to Timothy, was also in the race). At the bell, after a slow race to that point, it was wide open, with six or seven athletes in contention, with Cheruiyot making the running and the 2025 Diamond League champion Laros, and also Wightman, tracking him.
With around 200m to the line, Wightman made a break for glory, injecting the pace he hoped would earn him the gold. Neither Timothy Cheruiyot nor Laros could respond as Wightman looked to be getting clear in the home straight. But then the fast-finishing duo of Reynold Cheruiyot and Portugal’s Isaac Nader began putting the pressure on and it was between those two and Wightman for the medals.
As it turned out, the Brit was just pipped on the line – by an agonising margin of just 0.02 seconds! – by Nader. Wightman at least held on for silver, with Reynold Cheruiyot taking bronze and Timothy Cheruiyot having to settle for fourth place. Gourley ended up in a respectable 10th position, with Josh Kerr limping home in 14th and last place, more than half a minute behind the field.
Who Could Strike Gold for Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Kerr had been considered one of GB’s best bets for a gold medal at these Championships, with Wightman offering a fine Plan B if that didn’t materialise. As it turned out, a silver would have to suffice. It has been a relatively disappointing event for British athletes so far, but that at least put them on the medal table. But who else is left to compete who could go one better than Wightman and win a gold medal for Team GB & NI?
The best remaining hope for British and Northern Irish gold lies with Olympic champion and two-time world silver medallist in the 800m, Keely Hodgkinson. Despite missing much of the season through injury, since returning to the track, she’s put in a couple of fine performances, including her second-best time ever at a Diamond League event in Silesia in August.
Hodgkinson was always Team GB’s best hope of a gold in Tokyo, and she should breeze through the heats and semis and then, all being well, she will be the favourite to win the final on Sunday. Georgia Hunter-Bell and Jemma Reekie should not be wholly discounted either, and if Hodgkinson doesn’t get the gold, one of the other Brits might. But then we thought this in the men’s 1500m!
There are also medal chances in both the men’s and the women’s 200m. For the men, Zharnel Hughes flies the British flag, and the multiple European champion could sneak onto the podium, though a gold is probably beyond him if we are being realistic. For the women, each of the trio of Amy Hunt, Daryll Neita and Dina Asher-Smith is capable of making the final, and then it’s a question of how the race goes. Again, it is unlikely any of them could strike gold, although Dina did win the event in Doha in 2019, so it’s not impossible if everything goes her way.
The next best chance for gold, of the remaining events, will probably come in the relays and, specifically, the women’s 4x100m relay. The aforementioned trio of British sprinters might all be a little tired by that point, but if none has won a medal by then, they will be determined to get on the podium. And given there’s always the chance of teams dropping the baton in the relay, Team GB & NI could get the gold if the USA and Jamaica fluff their lines.