Latest news with #JoshKerr
Telegraph
a day ago
- General
- Telegraph
Gambler brags about heckling Olympic champion to win bet
A gambler is being investigated over claims that he insulted and followed Olympic champion Gabby Thomas in an attempt to influence the outcome of the women's 100m at the Grand Slam Track meeting. A man posting under the name 'Mr 100K a day' on the social media platform X claimed that his parlay – a cumulative series of bets – had won after he heckled the American sprinter at the meeting in Philadelphia. 'I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win,' he wrote next to a screenshot of a bet backing her competitor Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Responding to the post, Thomas wrote: 'This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults – anybody who enables him online is gross. She later added: 'Honestly the heckling is tolerable, it's following me around the stadium that's wild.' Thomas finished fourth in the race, with event organisers Grand Slam Track now promising to investigate. 'Grand Slam Track is conducting a full investigation into the reprehensible behaviour captured on video,' said a statement. 'We are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary. 'We will implement additional safeguards to help prevent incidents like this in the future. Let us be clear, despicable behaviour like this will not be tolerated.' Kerr beats Hocker with late burst The British 1500m world champion Josh Kerr was among the winners at the latest Grand Slam Track meeting, narrowly beating the Olympic champion Cole Hocker in the final metres of the race. Kerr is due to race his big rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen over 1500m at the London Diamond League meeting next month. Olympic women's 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson and the Olympic men's 100m champion Noah Lyles are also scheduled to race in London.
Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Josh Kerr of Great Britain got his Olympic 1500-m payback by winning the Grand Slam Track meet
Photo: U.S.A: Great Britain's Josh Kerr got his payback against Cole Hocker as he won a thrilling 1500-m race at the Grand Slam Track meet. The 27-year-old athlete had previously lost to the American at the 2024 Paris Olympics last August, where Hocker won the gold medal. However, Kerr now made his comeback. At the race, he made his move in the final meters of the race and overtook Hocker to win by 0.07 seconds. He successfully crossed the line in a season-best time of 3 minutes and 34.44 seconds, solidifying his name as a top contender in the tournament. Furthermore, Kerr also finished fifth in the 800-m event and narrowly missed out on the $100,000 (£74,000 or S$137,000) top prize for the short-distance category. Unfortunately, he lost by just one point to Canada's Marco Arop, who won the 800-m category. In a social media post shared by World Athletics, it stated: 'Living up to the hype 🫡…🇬🇧's @joshhkerr wins the 1500m in a battle to the line against Olympic champ @colehocker with 3:34.44 😳' Netizens commented on the post and said: 'Josh Kerr continues to impress me each race. He's such a competitor. I'm really glad to see that he's been racing more now that the grand slam track is a thing this year,'@joshhkerr was running in Beast Mode for this race and it is nearly impossible to win a race against anyone who is running in Beast Mode. Steve Prefontaine ran in Beast Mode all the time. @colehocker made this a great race that was right down to the wire. I love watching the best runners in the world getting after it and giving it their absolute best! We are entering the Golden Era of Track! So exciting! Let's go ! ❤️🔥,' and 'Best runner of the generation.' Other tournament updates In the women's 100-m category, American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden gained victory by clinching the fastest time in the world this year. The Olympic bronze medallist ran a personal best of 10.73 seconds. With this, she becomes the 10th fastest woman ever over the distance, together with France's Christine Arron. More so, American Tamari Davis finished second in the women's 100-m race with a final time of 11.03 seconds. Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith placed fifth with a time of 11.16 seconds. Moving on to the men's long sprints group, Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith won for the second time in three meets. The 30-year-old athlete won the 400-m race with a final time of 44.51 seconds, and he also placed fifth in the 200-m race. His performance was enough to earn him another Grand Slam title. The Grand Slam Track is a new tournament made by Olympic legend Michael Johnson. This aims to bring together the world's fastest athletes to compete for titles and prizes.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Josh Kerr lands huge payday as Team GB athletes bank £225,000
Several Team GB athletes earned a hugely impressive payday at the Philadelphia Slam as part of the Grand Slam Track season at the weekend, including Matthew Hudson-Smith and Josh Kerr Several Team GB stars pocketed hefty pay cheques at the Philadelphia Slam, which is part of the Grand Slam Track tournament masterminded by sprinting legend Michael Johnson. The competition format pits top track athletes against each other in two disciplines over a weekend, such as 100m and 200m sprints, across one of 12 combined race categories. The inaugural slam kicked off in Kingston, Jamaica, in April before moving to Miami last month. However, it was Philadelphia that proved the most profitable for British athletes. Despite not competing under the Team GB banner, Josh Kerr got his own back on Cole Hocker for his Paris Games defeat, pipping the American to the post by 0.07 seconds in the men's 1500m race. The 27-year-old relished his victory and bagged a cool $50K (£37k) for coming second overall in the short distance category, following his fifth-place finish in the 800m event. Fellow Brit Elliot Giles pocketed $10k (£7.4k) for his efforts in the same group. But the standout Team GB athlete in Philadelphia was Matthew Hudson-Smith, who topped the men's long sprints group for the second time in three Grand Slam Track events. The 400m Olympic silver medallist triumphed in his specialist discipline and came fifth in the 200m to take home the $100k (£74k) grand prize. Zharnell Hughes bagged a cool $50k (£37k) runner-up prize in the short sprints category. The 29-year-old sprinter secured third place in the men's 100m and narrowly missed out on first place in the 200m, losing to American speedster Kenny Bednarek. Georgia Hunter Bell had a lucrative day among the British women at the Philadelphia meet. The Olympic bronze medallist nabbed second place in the women's 800m and fourth in the 1500m, securing an impressive $30k (£22.1k) payday for her efforts. Dina Asher-Smith wasn't far behind, taking home slightly less than Bell from the women's short sprints group. Her fifth-place finish in the 100m and fourth in the 200m saw her walk away with a tidy $25k (£18.4k). Twin athletes Laviai and Lina Nielsen also had a profitable weekend, earning a combined $40k (£29.5k). Lina Nielsen triumphed in the 400m race and placed sixth in the 400m hurdles, netting herself $30k (£22.1k). Meanwhile, sister Laviai competed in the 200m and 400m sprints, earning $10k (£7.4k) after finishing eighth in her category. Despite only Hudson-Smith clinching an overall victory, it was a marked improvement on what British athletes had previously earned from the last two Grand Slam Track events. The total earnings for the Brits from the Philadelphia Slam amounted to a whopping $305k (£225k). This was a significant increase from their previous record of $222.5k (£164k) in Kingston. The inaugural event in April saw British athletes shine, with Hudson-Smith clinching his first long sprints victory and Hughes once again securing second place in the short sprints. The Team GB athletes earned slightly less during last month's event in Miami, taking home $212.5k (£156k). However, a huge chunk of that prize pot included Kerr's $100k (£74k) winnings. The Grand Slam Track season will conclude at the Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, with the event being held from June 27 to 29. At the end of the final meet, one male and one female athlete will be crowned the Racer of the Year based on their cumulative points totals.
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Team GB athletes scoop mammoth £225,000 as Josh Kerr lands huge payday
Team GB athletes scoop mammoth £225,000 as Josh Kerr lands huge payday Several Team GB athletes earned impressive paydays at the Philadelphia Slam as part of the Grand Slam Track season at the weekend, including Matthew Hudson-Smith and Josh Kerr Josh Kerr earned an impressive payday at the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia (Image: Michael Pimentel/) Several Team GB athletes earned huge paydays at the Philadelphia Slam as part of the Grand Slam Track tournament devised by legendary sprinter Michael Johnson. The format sees top track stars compete in two disciplines across a weekend, such as 100m and 200m sprints, in one of 12 combined race categories. Part of a four-date schedule, the inaugural slam occurred in Kingston, Jamaica, in April before heading to Miami last month. However, Philadelphia proved the most lucrative yet for the British contingent. Although none of the athletes were competing under Team GB, Josh Kerr avenged his Paris Games defeat to Cole Hocker, finishing ahead of the American by 0.07 seconds in the men's 1500m race. The 27-year-old savoured victory and earned a cool £37k ($50K) for coming second overall in the short distance category, following his fifth-place finish in the 800m event. Fellow Brit Elliot Giles received £7.4k ($10k) for his efforts in the same group. The standout Team GB athlete in Philadelphia was Matthew Hudson-Smith, who topped the men's long sprints group for the second time in three Grand Slam Track events. The 400m Olympic silver medalist triumphed in his specialist discipline and came fifth in the 200m to take home the £74k ($100k) grand prize. Zharnell Hughes clinched the £37k ($50k) runner-up spot in the short sprints category. The 29-year-old came third in the men's 100m race and narrowly clinched second in the 200m, but was beaten to top spot by the USA's Kenny Bednarek, who won both events. Matthew Hudson-Smith celebrated winning the long sprints group in Philadelphia (Image:) Article continues below Georgia Hunter Bell received one of the best paydays among the British women competing in Philadelphia. The Olympic bronze medalist came second in the women's 800m and fourth in the 1500m event, but sealed third overall in the women's short distance category to earn an impressive £22.1k ($30k). The 31-year-old received only slightly more than Dina Asher-Smith's payday in the women's short sprints group. Fifth place in the 100m and fourth in the 200m saw Asher-Smith finish the weekend fourth on the leaderboard, gaining £18.4k ($25k). Twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen also earned a combined £29.5k ($40k). Lina Nielsen won the 400m race and came sixth in the 400m hurdles, ending the weekend in third spot and receiving £22.1k ($30k). Meanwhile, Laviai Nielsen competed in the 200m and 400m sprints and earned £7.4k ($10k) after coming eighth in her category. Despite only Hudson-Smith claiming an overall victory, it was a significant improvement on what British athletes had earned from the previous two Grand Slam Track events. The British athletes' combined earnings from the Philadelphia Slam were £225k ($305k). Lina Nielsen (R) won the 400m event in Philadelphia (Image:) This was considerably higher than their previous highest tally of £164k ($222.5k) in Kingston. The British highlights from the inaugural event in April included Hudson-Smith's first long sprints victory and Hughes again taking second place in the short sprints. Article continues below The Team GB athletes earned slightly less during last month's event in Miami, taking home £156k ($212.5k). However, a huge chunk of that prize pot included Kerr's £74k ($100k) winnings. The Grand Slam Track season will conclude at the Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, with the event being held from June 27 to 29. At the end of the final meet, one male and one female athlete will be crowned the Racer of the Year based on their cumulative points totals.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Kerr gains revenge at latest Grand Slam Track meet
Great Britain's Josh Kerr avenged his Olympic 1500m defeat by Cole Hocker in a thrilling battle in Sunday's Grand Slam Track surged past Kerr, 27, to claim a shock victory and Olympic gold in Paris last it was Kerr's turn to produce a decisive finish in Philadelphia, storming past the American in the final few metres to win by seven-hundredths of a claimed victory in a season's best time of three minutes 34.44 a fifth-placed finish in the 800m on Saturday, Kerr missed out on the top prize of $100,000 (£74,000) for the short distance group by just one point to Canada's Marco Arop, who won the the women's 100m, US sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden clocked a world-leading time as she stormed to an emphatic Olympic bronze medallist, 24, claimed victory in a personal best 10.73secs, making her the 10th fastest woman to run the distance, tied with France's Christine Arron."It means everything, I've been working so hard for this," said Jefferson-Wooden, who also won the 200m on Saturday. "It's just all coming together."Compatriot Tamari Davis placed second in 11.03secs, with Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith fifth in 11.16secs. GB's Matthew Hudson-Smith clinched the top prize for the men's long sprints group for the second time in three winning the 400m in 44.51 on Saturday, the 30-year-old's fifth-place finish in the 200m was enough to claim another Grand Slam title, having secured the first in Kingston, Slam Track is a new competition created by Michael Johnson which aims to bring the world's fastest athletes together to compete for lucrative events were scheduled for the opening series and the final meet will be in Los Angeles from 27-29 June.
