Hamish Kerr during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Photosport
Hamish Kerr during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Photosport
Kiwi high jumper Hamish Kerr won’t have to look far for motivation as he starts his athletics world championships campaign in Budapest tomorrow.
Kerr has enjoyed an exceptional few years, going from promising athlete to genuine contender in an event where New Zealand success has been rare on the worldstage.
His progression has been near seamless since 2019 after a breakthrough performance at the Oceania Championships in Townsville, where he smashed his personal best by 5cm and equalled the national record of 2.30m. He has since extended the record to 2.34m, set six months ago.
The glaring exception was the world championships in Oregon last year, one of the toughest experiences of his career.
He arrived full of confidence, after a stunning bronze medal at the world indoor championships in Belgrade a few months earlier but everything unravelled quickly.
“I got 2.25m on my first jump,” Kerr says. “I was feeling pretty comfortable, I was about sixth in the standings, I thought I was safe and I switched off and got complacent.
“Then the bar moved up to 2.28m and all the guys who didn’t look like they were going to clear it started clearing it. I went into panic mode a wee bit.”
From a field of 29, the top 12 would qualify for the final.
The Dunedin product missed all three attempts at 2.28m, then had to wait, hoping he would survive.
“It was a bit of a sense of impending doom. The last guy that cleared 2.28m was Gianmarco Tamberi, the Italian Olympic champion. As soon as I saw he was up, I was [thinking] ‘okay, there’s no way he’s not clearing this’. Then I was 13th, so I was the first man to miss out.”
Leaving the competition three days early was a galling experience.
“Those guys have done it so long and they put themselves into positions where they don’t miss out on things like that. It was a massive learning and very disappointing.”
Hamish Kerr of New Zealand celebrates. Photosport
Kerr had the chance to move on just a fortnight later, claiming a cherished gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, but the Eugene experience still burns, admitting he got a bit “split” between two marquee events in such a short time frame.
“[This year], I don’t have that safety net of a comp in two weeks, so let’s just focus on this one.”
He is well prepared. He’s been on the road since late May, competing in Japan, then across Europe, including four Diamond League meets.
It’s the longest time away of his career, which has been challenging at times, though it has helped having a European base.
The 26-year-old has spent most of his time in Leuven, Belgium, in accommodation sourced by Athletics New Zealand.
“It’s great. You can stay during the week and then go to competitions. You don’t need to lug all the gear around.”
It’s also allowed complete focus, with his coach Terry Lomax in camp. He recorded 2.24m at three consecutive Diamond League meetings in Stockholm (first), Chorzow (eighth) and London (sixth), before clearing 2.28m to win a German meet this month.
“They were all in different conditions but I’m going to have to jump higher again. It’s all about starting to sharpen the pencil and unlocking that last little bit, which is definitely there.”
The year has been one of “massive” change for Kerr. He makes no secret of the fact the Paris Olympics are his priority, even if there are important stepping stones on the way. So while he continues to climb the ladder, he is willing to re-tool everything to aim for the highest rung.
“I’ve approached training very differently this year, which comes with a bit of uncertainty. I know how to be a low 2.30s jumper and that’s top six to eight in the world on any given day. But that’s not where I want to be, so we have to go out on a limb and try new things.”
Hamish Kerr is building an impressive resume amongst the world's best high jumpers. Photo / Photosport
Kerr believes he can get close to the magical 2.40m mark — which would put him in a different echelon — but it means overhauling some of his present processes, as they seek improvements.
“The way we do things, the way we train, it needs to change to be a 2.40m jumper. Do you turn up and be happy with what you’ve achieved, or do you want to keep pushing on and get that next piece? It’s pretty scary at times because you’re leaving a big security blanket, but when things do click and go well, it’s pretty exciting.”
Budapest will be his third world championships, after his debut at Doha in 2019 as a wide-eyed rookie. It’s an open field; Kerr is ranked sixth in the world and says he could list about eight podium contenders.
“There are not too many events around like that at the moment”.
Qualification is tomorrow evening before the final on Wednesday evening.
“There’s an opportunity to get an awesome height. It’s going to be an awesome atmosphere. The track is going to be great, the conditions should be really good.
“My two best jumps this season have both been in the rain, which has been a little frustrating, because on those days, I probably was ready to go a little higher.
“So I’m hoping I get that feeling again but also have some good conditions — [then] there’s every chance I can be throwing my name in there with the big boys.”
