Team GB star Josh Kerr reveals surprise reason why he wears sunglasses in races
Team GB medal hopeful Josh Kerr has revealed why he wears his trademark sunglasses – and the reason could surprise fans.
Kerr, 26, will look to continue British success at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris when he competes in the men's 1500m final on Tuesday night.
Kerr is one of Team GB's biggest medals hopes in track and field, having already claimed the 1500m title at the 2023 World Championships.
His biggest challenge is likely to come from defending Olympic champion, Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, with the two athletes contesting a fierce rivalry in recent years.
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Speaking ahead of the final, Team GB captain Kerr predicted it would be "one of the most vicious and hardest 1500m races seen in a very long time".
"There's been a lot of words over the last two years," added the Tokyo bronze medallist.
"I'm just looking to settle that. I'm ready to go after it."
When the athletes line up at the Stade de France, Kerr is set to sport his trademark dark sunglasses.
And the British athlete has revealed that he wears them as he believes it gives him a psychological advantage over his rivals.
"I think, with the sunglasses, it definitely lets me stand out," Kerr told BBC Sport.
"When the glasses go on, it's game time. In the World Championships last year, I was wearing the darker sunglasses before heading out, so you couldn’t see my eyes.
"I chucked them on in the call room, I was just looking around, seeing what people were doing and no one knew where I was looking, so people were getting a little bit peeved off at me.
"They were asking, 'Are you looking at me?' I was like, 'Maybe I am, maybe I'm not', but it'll rile some people up.
"I'm going to be myself and people can take that as they want but, for me, I'm not too worried about anyone else's perceptions of me."
Kerr is confident he can get the better of Ingebrigtsen and claim Team GB's second gold medal on the track at the 2024 Games, following Keely Hodgkinson's victory in the women's 800m on Monday night.
"We have some amazing characters within my sport, big personalities like Jakob Ingebrigtsen who has a lot of fans," Kerr added.
"He goes out pretty hard and very consistent on the world stage.
"I believe that I'm currently the best 1500m runner in the world and I think he believes he's the best 1500m runner in the world so our personalities clash a little bit when it comes to that and it's pretty raw.
"People are excited to talk about that rivalry and I'm not going to shy away from talking about it. I'm all for it. I think we have a lot of similarities but it clashes sometimes."
Rory O'Callaghan