What time is Josh Kerr race? How to watch men's 1500m at World Athletics Ultimate Championship
Scot bidding to cap memorable season in money-spinning Budapest showdown
Josh Kerr will look to cap a memorable season when he contests the men's 1500m final at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship this weekend.
After breaking the Mile world record in London in July, then clinching gold over the same distance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in August, the Scot will now bid for victory in the new-look event in Budapest on Sunday.
Kerr had been set to race against his long-term rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen for the US $150,000 prize after both men were given special exemptions to compete in the 1500m showdown. However, following his victory in the 5000m on Friday, the Norwegian double Olympic champion announced on Saturday that he would be pulling out of the 1500m after deciding another race was one too many.
Posting on social media, Ingebrigtsen said: "I would love for it to be a little bit different and for it to be a little bit sharper in terms of recovery, but coming from a very difficult last two years with injury problems and Achilles surgery, I am forced to be more sensible than I would like to be."
Kerr has warned all his fellow competitors that he cannot envisage a scenario where he does not come out on top.
“I wouldn't like to race me right now, I'd say that,” he told BBC Breakfast. “It's going to be a tough one on Sunday for the rest of the field, that is what I would put it down as.
“(The world record) was just a fitness test for the Ultimate Championships!” Kerr joked.
“I'm as fit as I was then, if not in a better spot. I'm excited and it's the last race of the season, I don't feel like I'm dragging myself there, I'm feeling very energised and ready to go.
“There are a lot of guys out there and my job is to beat every single one of them. It's not going to be easy, it's going to be a hard race but I feel very confident in where I'm at and what the result is going to be on Sunday.”
Kerr will not be the only Scot in the field for the 1500m, with Jake Wightman looking to make amends for a season that has been marred by injury.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the race...
What is the World Athletics Ultimate Championship?
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a brand-new, global track and field event designed as a fast-paced, season-ending finale. It will be held biennially in even-numbered years to ensure a major global championship takes place during years without a traditional outdoor World Athletics Championships.
The inaugural edition is taking place from September 11-13, 2026 at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary. In a departure from tradition, no medals are awarded. Instead, winners receive a trophy and the title of "Ultimate Champion" plus a prize payment of US $150,000.
When is Josh Kerr racing in the men's 1500m?
The Edinburgh athlete will contest the men's 1500m on Sunday, September 13, 2026. The race is due to begin at 7.12pm UK time.
How to watch Josh Kerr in the men's 1,500m - TV channel and live stream
The Championships are being broadcast on BBC One with live coverage on Sunday running from 5pm to 8pm. The event will also be live streamed on the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer.
Who is competing in the men's 1,500m?
The final features Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman (Great Britain & Northern Ireland) as well as Olympic champion Cole Hocker (United States) plus Yared Nuguse, Hobbs Kessler, and Ethan Strand (United States), Timothy Cheruiyot and Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech (Kenya), Cameron Myers (Australia), Isaac Nader (Portugal), Azeddine Habz (France), and Robert Farken (Germany).
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