Josh Kerr beats Cameron Myers to win Ultimate Championship 1500m in Budapest

Josh Kerr won the men's 1500m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday, September 13, finishing in 3:29.35 ahead of Cameron Myers. The Australian crossed in 3:29.68, leaving a gap of 0.33 seconds between the two athletes at the end of the final.

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The result gave Kerr another victory in the city where he became world champion in 2023. According to The1News's race report, his winning time also improved the Hungarian all-comers' record he established in that earlier final. The previous mark was 3:29.38, meaning Sunday's performance lowered it by three hundredths of a second.

That report identified Budapest as Kerr's first standalone 1500m race of the season. He nevertheless arrived with the year's leading time over the distance: a 3:27.62 split recorded during his world-record mile at the London Diamond League. He completed that mile in 3:42.66, setting the benchmark before returning to championship racing.

BBC Sport reported that Kerr earned $150,000 and became Britain's first winner at the inaugural Ultimate Championship. He took the lead by passing American Yared Nuguse on the back straight and stayed ahead to secure the title. The victory brought his season to a close with another major first-place finish, following earlier successes both indoors and outdoors.

Kerr reached the meeting through an exceptional invitation from World Athletics, rather than the usual qualification routes, according to the BBC. Those routes covered reigning global champions, Diamond League winners and athletes selected through the world rankings. Jakob Ingebrigtsen also received an invitation, but withdrew from the 1500m after winning the 5000m on Friday, so the rivals did not meet.

The BBC's report placed the Budapest result alongside Kerr's world indoor 3000m title and Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, as well as his London mile record. The new championship concluded after three nights of competition, with athletes contesting a total prize fund of $10 million. Kerr left with both the men's 1500m trophy and the event's top individual payout.