A limited number of replica Mary Earps goalkeeping shirts are finally being made available to buy by England kit manufacturer Nike.
Earps had said prior to the World Cup it was “hugely disappointing and very hurtful” that the replica kits were not available to purchase.
Calls for Nike to put things right have grown louder over the last week – including from former sports minister Tracey Crouch – after Earps saved a penalty for England in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain, with the Lionesses ultimately slipping to a 1-0 defeat.
And the company has now acted, with a spokesperson saying on Thursday: “We’ve seen and share the unprecedented passion and interest in women’s football this year and remain committed to playing our part by offering the best products and services to athletes and fans.
“We invested more in this year’s World Cup than any other global tournament to date. Nike has secured limited quantities of goalkeeper jerseys for England, (the United States), France and the Netherlands to be sold through the federation websites over the coming days, and we are also in conversations with our other federation partners.
“We recognise that during the tournament we didn’t serve those fans who wished to show their passion and support to the squad’s goalkeepers. We are committed to retailing women’s goalkeeping jerseys for major tournaments in the future.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will look to sign a centre-back after Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki were ruled out for eight weeks.
Carter-Vickers went off halfway through Celtic’s recent league win over Aberdeen with a hamstring issue and the problem is worse than first feared.
Summer signing Nawrocki pulled up with with a similar problem towards the end of Celtic’s Viaplay Cup defeat at Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Rodgers was already facing at least the same amount of time without Stephen Welsh, who has had ankle surgery.
The Celtic boss, whose team host St Johnstone on Saturday, said: “It is obviously disappointing for us in terms of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh, probably about eight weeks.
“Stephen Welsh had an operation just the other day so he has come through that well.
“The other two we were hopeful would come back sooner, but we sought further scans on them and it puts them probably about eight weeks from now.”
When asked if he would look for reinforcements in that area ahead of next week’s transfer deadline, Rodgers said: “I think we have to look at it, there’s no doubt. It’s an area that we are light on.
“When you are losing three players for that length of time, and knowing the number of games we will have and the importance of every game, then it’s definitely something we have to look at.”
England’s troubled build-up to the World Cup continued with the news that Anthony Watson will miss the entire tournament because of a calf problem.
In the week Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola were issued with bans that rule them out of the critical opener against Argentina, Steve Borthwick has now lost a first choice wing.
Watson sustained the damage in Saturday’s 29-10 rout by Ireland and has been replaced in the 33-man World Cup squad by Jonny May, who starts Saturday’s clash with Fiji.
Relief Rally flew up the stands side rail to land the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York.
William Haggas’ filly was a three-time winner coming into the Group Two contest and started as the 2-1 favourite under Tom Marquand after victory in the Super Sprint at Newbury.
Ridden patiently on her first try at six furlongs, the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned bay began to make headway in the final furlong and pulled away as the line approached to prevail ahead of Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom.
Ireland have handed a full international debut to hooker Tom Stewart for Saturday’s clash with Samoa as they sweat on the fitness of Dan Sheehan ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
Ulster player Stewart won his first Test cap as a replacement during his country’s 33-17 victory over Italy at the start of the month.
The 22-year-old now has a further chance to stake his claim for a place in Andy Farrell’s final 33-man selection for the upcoming tournament in France when Ireland conclude their warm-up fixtures in Bayonne.
Head coach Farrell, who has made 12 personnel changes to the starting XV which began Saturday’s resounding 29-10 win over England, potentially has problems in the number two position.
First-choice starter Sheehan has remained in Dublin for assessment on the foot issue which forced him off in the first half against Steve Borthwick’s side, while fellow Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher is yet to play competitively this summer due to a hamstring problem.
Rob Herring will provide back-up for provincial team-mate Stewart from the bench after coming on to replace Sheehan last weekend at the Aviva Stadium. Uncapped Munster hooker Diarmuid Barron is also with the group in south-west France.
Saturday evening’s match at Stade Jean Dauger is a final audition for players before Farrell names his World Cup squad on Monday afternoon.
Stuart McCloskey has another chance to impress at inside centre, while Jack Crowley will partner Munster team-mate Conor Murray in the half-back positions in the final match of captain Johnny Sexton’s three-game ban.
International rookie Stewart will be joined in the front row by props Cian Healy and Finlay Bealham, with Iain Henderson skippering the side from the second row, where he will pack down with Tadhg Beirne.
Caelan Doris returns at number eight in an all-Leinster back row, joining Ryan Baird and reigning world player of the year Josh Van Der Flier.
Centre Robbie Henshaw, wings Keith Earls and Mack Hansen, and full-back Jimmy O’Brien also start.
Props Jeremy Loughman and Tom O’Toole, lock James Ryan, flanker Peter O’Mahony, scrum-half Craig Casey, fly-half Ross Byrne and centre Garry Ringrose join Herring on the bench.
Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale and Leinster fly-half Ciaran Frawley are among those left out with World Cup selection looming.
In a poignant moment that encapsulated the emotional depth of his victory, Kyron McMaster paid a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Jocelyn, after securing a historic silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. The 26-year-old hurdler from the British Virgin Islands not only etched his name into the annals of his country's athletics history but also dedicated his triumph to the person who stood unwaveringly by his side throughout his journey.
As the first athlete from the British Virgin Islands to clinch a medal at an outdoor global athletics championship, McMaster's achievement was laden with significance. Yet, amidst the jubilation and celebrations that followed his silver medal win in the 400m hurdles, McMaster's first instinct was to honor his mother's enduring support.
“Basically, it goes back to the early beginnings. My mom used to wake up 4:30 in the mornings, drop me at training with Coach Dag Samuels. So she’s been there from the beginning and made a lot of sacrifices. She’s been there. She understands me. She understands what I wanted to achieve, my paps, too, he understood, everybody understood.”
On the occasion of her birthday, McMaster walked over to his mother and gently placed the replica silver medal around her neck, saying ‘Mom, this is for you’. The act was a poignant gesture of appreciation, a tangible symbol of gratitude for her steadfast presence, and a reflection of the sacrifices she had made along his path to success.
The silver medal, achieved with a remarkable time of 47.34 seconds in the 400m hurdles, not only marked McMaster's personal triumph but also a moment of profound connection between a son and his mother. With tears of joy and pride shining in both their eyes, McMaster's tribute encapsulated the depth of his gratitude for her sacrifices and encouragement, even during the times when success seemed elusive.
Reflecting on the significance of the moment, McMaster shared: "It meant a lot. A lot because my mom’s been to a few of my games where we wanted to deliver a medal and I just couldn’t deliver for her at certain points. I didn’t want her to fly to Budapest for nothing. That would have broken my heart if I couldn’t deliver again, but she is going home with a silver medal."
McMaster's journey to this remarkable achievement was marked by challenges and setbacks, including previous global disappointments. A two-time Commonwealth Games champion and Diamond League champion, McMaster had, prior to Wednesday, always came up short on the global stage.
At the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon he suffered a hamstring injury during the preliminary rounds and took no further part in the competition. At the championships in 2017, he was disqualified. In Doha in 2019, he was fourth and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics he was also fourth in a time of 47.08, a time that would have won him gold in every other Olympic year except for that year and in 1992 when Kevin Young ran a world record 46.78 to win.
However, this time, he broke free from the shadow of past struggles to secure his place on the podium.
The silver medal, earned behind Norway's Karsten Warholm's gold-winning performance, resonates as a testament to McMaster's resilience and his mother's unyielding support. Through this touching tribute, the hurdler's win becomes a shared victory—a celebration not just of his athletic prowess, but also of the bond between a son and the woman who helped shape his path to glory
Kylian takes the step up to six furlongs as he attempts to enhance his growing reputation in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes at York.
The colt has had a busy and successful juvenile campaign so far, running with promise in a handful of novices before winning the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown by an impressive six lengths.
He then went to the Molecomb at Goodwood and was beaten only by Mick Appleby’s Royal Ascot scorer Big Evs, who prevailed by a length and a half and was supplemented for the Nunthorpe as a result.
Kylian stays among his own age group, however, and heads the market ahead of this Group Two six-furlong assignment with connections retaining plenty of faith in the son of Invincible Spirit.
“I think he has got the speed for five, but he was just drawn out on the wing at Goodwood and by the time Ryan (Moore) managed to get him across to the stands rail he was already three or four lengths behind the front two,” explained Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager for owner Sheikh Hamed Dalmook Al Maktoum.
“He finished very strongly and he looks like he will get the six – Ryan thinks it will be better for him. He’s favourite and I think rightly so.
“You don’t see many win as far as he did over five furlongs and I think he is a very useful horse.”
Aidan O’Brien saddles the sole Irish-trained representative in Johannes Brahms, winner of a Naas maiden and second to Big Evs in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot.
Richard Hannon’s Haatem lines up after his one-length success in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, before which he was second to the highly-regarded City Of Troy in the Superlative Stakes.
Ralph Beckett has a runner in the Kingman colt King’s Gamble, winner of his only start to date when taking a Newmarket novice in early August.
That success was fairly decisive as he won by a length and a quarter, and connections were clearly convinced to supplement him for his chance at Group Two level.
“We supplemented him and his sectionals and figures looked very good at Newmarket that Friday,” said Joe Foley, racing manager for owners Clipper Logistics.
“He’s a horse that we will probably step up to seven soon, but Danny Tudhope) thought he showed a lot of speed that day and the sectionals backed that up, so we thought we would give the Gimcrack a go. There’s only one Gimcrack every year.”
Elsewhere is Archie Watson’s Action Point, well behind Big Evs in the Windsor Castle but the winner of the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury in July.
Richard Fahey’s Emperor’s Son takes his chance, as does William Haggas’ Lake Forest and Kevin Ryan’s Jehangeer.
The Alice Haynes-trained duo of Power Mode and Hala Emaraaty, fourth behind Vandeek in the Richmond Stakes, complete the field.
FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales in relation to his conduct at the World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday.
Rubiales has faced heavy criticism after he grabbed his crotch in celebration of Spain’s victory over England, while stood metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter Sofia.
Rubiales then kissed Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy celebration.
FIFA said in a statement issued on Thursday afternoon: “The FIFA disciplinary committee informed Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on August 20, 2023.”
John and Thady Gosden’s Courage Mon Ami will look to put Goodwood defeat behind him in the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup at York.
The gelding was the hero of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June, beating 11 rivals to score by three-quarters of a length from Andrew Balding’s Coltrane.
Both horses headed next to the South Downs for the Goodwood Cup, where Hughie Morrison’s Quickthorn galloped into an unassailable lead and prevailed by sixth lengths, with Courage Mon Ami unplaced in the trailing pack having started as the 2-1 favourite.
Despite suffering the first defeat of his career, the performance does leave the horse fresher than he would have been otherwise as he looks to get back to winning ways on the Knavesmire.
John Gosden said: “We all know the Goodwood Cup was an interestingly different sort of race and not dissimilar to the Lonsdale last year, really.
“He came out of it well. He didn’t have much of a race.
“He couldn’t get a run and then when he did get a run, the race was over. So, he had what I call a nice racecourse gallop, really!
“We’d like to run there (York) and then after that wait for the Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend.”
As referred to by Gosden, Quickthorn employed similar tactics in this race last season and was successful by 14 lengths under Tom Marquand.
The same jockey will take the ride again this time as the duo look to retain their title for owner-breeder Lady Blyth.
“He’s a fantastic horse, obviously. He’d already done it in the Prix Maurice de Nieuil in France when he did it in the Lonsdale Cup last year, but Goodwood was still a bit surreal,” Marquand said.
“In the Lonsdale he pretty much ran away with me if I’m honest. I was going to make the running, but I didn’t intend to go that fast and he was doing too much really. But he’s a lot more measured now and at Goodwood he never felt as though he was going that quick. He was always comfortable and he was able to fill up where he needed to, whereas at York he was always tanking.”
He added: “Everyone thinks they know what we are going to do and I don’t suppose we’ll stray too far away from what works, but I think it would be silly for anyone to think that it’s just a case of taking him on to get him beat, because he’s won races after taking a lead as well.
“Hughie has done an amazing job having Quickthorn right on the day so far, and he’s no one-trick pony. Far from it. He doesn’t have to make the running, so long as he finds a rhythm and is in his comfort zone, and he only has to beat horses he has beaten before.”
Marco Botti’s Giavellotto also brings course form to the race having landed the Yorkshire Cup over a lesser trip in May.
The chestnut also went for the Goodwood Cup next but he too was victim to Quickthorn’s tearaway tactics and he finished fifth, though only narrowly behind the second-placed horse as he was prominent in the chasing pack.
Botti said: “He’s in good form, the ground should be good to firm, it should be quicker than the ground he ran on at Goodwood – which was on the easy side.
“He’s well, he won at York and the main players have been declared, so it looks a tough race but he seems in good order and he’s only run three times this year so he is relatively fresh. We’re looking forward to it.
“That was a funny race to watch (Goodwood Cup), but he ran well and wasn’t beaten far where he was. The track and the ground will be more to his liking at York than they were at Goodwood.
“Hopefully this time the jockeys will be more alert and understand he’s (Quickthorn) a horse you can’t just give a big advantage to, he doesn’t stop, he just keeps going.
“There’s only seven runners, ideally we want to be somewhere in the middle and just get a lead. I will leave it to Andrea (Atzeni), he knows the horse well and gets on with him.”
Coltrane and Nate The Great represent Andrew Balding, while Aidan O’Brien’s internationally-campaigned seven-year-old, Broome also features.
The field is completed by Ralph Beckett’s River Of Stars, the only filly entered and the winner of the Bronte Cup at York earlier in the year.
Defending champion Highfield Princess faces a stern examination as she attempts to join the list of repeat Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes winners at York on Friday.
John Quinn’s stable star appears to be peaking at the right moment as she bids to replicate the brilliant performance she produced on the Knavesmire 12 months ago.
That victory came in the middle of a fantastic late-summer Group One hat-trick as she shot to the summit of the sprinting top-flight and having notched up a welcome first success of the campaign at Goodwood earlier this month, the Highfield Princess team are now ready to play their part in what is a fascinating renewal stacked with talent.
Quinn said: “We’re happy with her, it’s lovely ground and we’re drawn six of 16, which is fine.
“It’s a spicy race. I think the horse that beat her at Ascot (Bradsell) commands plenty of respect, as does the two-year-old (Big Evs) and there’s a couple of other horses there who, if they bounce back to their best, would have a chance.”
Highfield Princess will have to turn the tables with Royal Ascot conquerors Bradsell and Khaadem, who had her measure in the King’s Stand and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes respectively, to prove victorious.
When asked if he felt she will need to be better than she was 12 months ago to successfully defend her crown, Quinn added: “She might do. We’re taking on a two-year-old and a three-year-old, both Royal Ascot winners.
“When a three-year-old wins a King’s Stand you have to sit up and take notice and the two-year-old is a Royal Ascot winner and a Goodwood winner and looks really tough, hardy and mature, so they are two and something else could pop up who at their best could be in the mix.
“Goodwood was very good, so we’re hopeful anyway. She’s done so much and people expect plenty from her, but she seems in good nick and she loves this place, which is all you can ask.”
Archie Watson’s Bradsell has not been seen since downing Highfield Princess in the King’s Stand in June, but having proven he has the speed to be a force at the minimum distance, big-race pilot Hollie Doyle is hopeful of recording her first victory in the race following her second aboard The Platinum Queen 12 months ago.
She said ahead of the Qipco British Champions Series event: “Bradsell is a really good horse and has the heart of a lion. I thought it was a great performance back down to five furlongs in the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot. He beat a real sprinting star in Highfield Princess, and the pair of us were clear.
“We thought he might not have as much early speed as the Australian sprinters, but he showed more speed than ever before and really thrived down in trip. He’s our flagbearer at Archie’s and it’s great to be going to the Nunthorpe with a live chance again.”
Frankie Dettori will partner King’s Stand fourth Twilight Calls in his final Nunthorpe as Henry Candy’s five-year-old attempts to follow in the footsteps of his grandsire Kyllachy by winning this contest, while out of luck in that Ascot contest was Dramatised, who finished down the field.
Connections felt the draw and conditions were completely against Karl Burke’s filly on that occasion and having dazzled at home in the interim, are excited to see where she places in the sprinting pecking order.
“It was a non-event at Ascot, we thought we were drawn on the wrong side,” said Joe Foley, racing manager for owners Clipper Logistics.
“Danny (Tudhope) came in and said he looked up two furlongs out and they were a long, long way behind. She was just on the wrong side and also the ground was quite dead on the first day of Ascot and she needs fast ground, hence we missed the King George at Goodwood.
“We’ve had a bit of a frustrating summer waiting for fast ground for her, but it looks like we’re going to get it Friday. She has been working very, very well, so it’ll be interesting to see where she stands with the proper Group One sprinters now that she is a mature three-year-old and is getting her ground.
“It will be interesting to watch and we’re looking forward to seeing her run.”
It cost £40,000 to supplement Big Evs into the line-up and now the Royal Ascot and Qatar Goodwood Festival scorer will not only try to hand trainer Mick Appleby a first Group One triumph, but become the first two-year-old winner since Kingsgate Native in 2007.
“It’s good to be going to the Nunthorpe with a horse with a live chance and hopefully he will run well,” said the handler.
“He’s come out of Goodwood really well and we’ve got a good draw as well between two of the favourites. All being well he will run a big race.
“He will be one of my best, he will be up there with all the good ones I’ve had – Danzeno, Caspian Prince and I’m not sure of a better two-year-old we’ve had.
“It would mean a lot to have a Group One winner. It’s what every trainer tries to get and not a lot of trainers ever actually do get one. So it would be nice if we could win one. Hopefully he runs really well and comes back safe and sound.”
Another handler who could enjoy their finest hour is Ed Bethell who gives his course-and-distance winner Regional a first taste of Group One action in search of a hat-trick.
Bethell said: “I’m really happy with him. I would have loved to have got a run into him, but the ground went against him and he wants fast ground. Hopefully it looks like he will get that this week.
“I’ve been really happy with in the interim period, we know he goes really well fresh and I’m looking forward to a big run.
“He’s got a good draw right in the middle which means we can go whichever way we want. We’re drawn next to Highfield Princess and Big Evs and near Bradsell, while Live In The Dream is not far away, so there is a lot of speed in and around us which can only benefit us.
“We’re really looking forward to it and it’s exciting.”
Charlie Hills knows all about Nunthorpe success having saddled the imperious Battaash to do the double in 2019 and 2020 and he now launches a two-pronged assault on the five-furlong shootout with shock Jubilee Stakes hero Khaadem and stablemate Equality.
“Khaadem is a horse that’s got form over five furlongs and was fourth in this last season,” said Hills.
“He’s been in very good form this year and if he can reproduce that he should be going close as well.”
He added: “Equality was just drawn a little bit out of it at Goodwood I thought, and he struck into himself as well.
“It’s going to be competitive, but if he runs like he did at Sandown, he’ll have a good chance of being close.”
Courtney Lawes will win his 100th cap when he captains England in Saturday’s final warm-up match before the World Cup against Fiji at Twickenham.
With Owen Farrell serving a four-match ban for a dangerous tackle, Lawes continues as skipper to become the fifth England player to amass a century of Test appearances, having made his debut in 2009.
George Ford continues as chief conductor in a new-look half-back combination that includes Alex Mitchell, while Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence are paired together for the first time in a powerful midfield alliance.
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Head coach Steve Borthwick may have given a hint of his thinking at number eight following Billy Vunipola’s three-game suspension for a high hit by picking Ben Earl in the position.
In an unexpected development, Jonny May has been picked on the left wing despite not being selected in England’s World Cup squad, hinting at potential injury problems in the back three.
Corey Domachowski readily admits that any suggestion of playing prop as a schoolboy would fill him with dread.
A former centre and goalkicker at his local rugby club, a future in the front-row could not have been further from his mind.
But Domachowski is now preparing for his first World Cup as one of three loosehead props selected by Wales head coach Warren Gatland.
“I was playing for Rhondda Schools as a number six or eight, but Chris Jones (coach) was on at me for years to play prop,” he said.
“I would go home home to my mother and cry ‘I’m not going to play prop’.
“At my local club, Gilfach Goch, I always played number eight or centre and I also used to kick goals.
“I converted to prop in my first year of youth rugby at Gilfach. We didn’t have a loosehead, and we had some good players in the back row.
“I put a bit of weight on at the time, and I just wanted to play with the boys. It took off from there, really.
“It was probably the best decision of my life. I was a bit gutted I couldn’t kick at goal any more, but I am not an outside-half, centre or back-rower.
“But if we ever have a penalty goalkicking shoot-out, ‘Gats’ knows the score!”
Domachowski moved to Cardiff, making his debut against Glasgow in 2016, and a dominant display against European Challenge Cup opponents Sale Sharks last season thrust him into Gatland’s thoughts.
Barely a month later he was named in an extended World Cup training squad, and his Test debut followed when Wales took on opening warm-up opponents England at the Principality Stadium.
“I take myself back to the middle of last season and if someone had said I would be in this position now, I would have laughed in their face to be honest,” he added.
“I am not here to make up the numbers, and that is the same as everyone else. There is a lot of competition.
“We all know why we are here. We want the number one jersey.
“I have probably taken a lot from the first two caps (against England and South Africa), more than anything in the rest of my career.
“I was a bit frustrated from the England game where I felt we weren’t able to get the scrums we wanted. They probably played a bit smart, noticed we (Domachowski and his fellow Cardiff prop Keiron Assiratti) were both debutants, and used it to their advantage.
“Then we came up against the best pack in the world in South Africa, and I am not hiding away from the fact we came second-best. It was a big test, and we have just got to take learnings from it.”
The day of Wales’ final 33-strong World Cup squad announcement began with Domachowski attending his 88-year-old great-grandmother’s funeral.
Then came the jubilation of gaining selection, but he also found time to speak with his friend and team-mate Assiratti, who failed to make the cut.
“I said to him from where he was at the start of the year – Cardiff asked him to cover hooker at one point – and now he is a Wales international,” Domachowski said.
“Sometimes, you have probably got to take a step back and realise how far you have come.
“He is a great player. You don’t get gifted international honours if you are not good enough.
“I am sure he will bounce back from it, take it as motivation, hopefully use it to his advantage and push on for the Six Nations.”
Josh Kerr became world 1500m champion in Budapest on Wednesday after stunning favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
He follows British team-mate Jake Wightman, who won in Eugene last year, and here the PA news agency looks at the new golden boy.
Chasing the dream
He left home in Edinburgh at 17 and moved to the US to attend the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque.
After turning professional in 2018 he signed with Brooks having turned down a deal with Nike and Kerr now trains in Seattle with the Brooks Beasts club and is coached by Danny Mackey.
His win also keeps the 1500m title at Edinburgh Athletic Club after Wightman’s triumph last year.
A sporting family
Kerr comes from a sporting background with his dad John a former professional rugby player and mum Jill a keen golfer.
His older brother Jake was a hooker for Bristol Bears having joined from Leicester Tigers in 2021.
Jake has one cap for Scotland, in the 2019 Six Nations against Italy, and left the Bears this summer.
Sunglasses sponsorship
Kerr has a sponsorship deal with Oakley sunglasses which rarely sees him racing without a pair.
Last year at the World Championships he wore a pair of £250 gold Oakley sunglasses, although he struggled to fifth in the final.
This year his glasses had more of a bronze tinge but he went onto win gold.
Olympic track star
Kerr was Team GB’s only male track and field medallist at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.
He battled to 1500m bronze, running three minutes 29.05 seconds which was a new personal best.
Ingebrigtsen took the title back then but has since been beaten twice by British stars at the Worlds.
Meditation
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Kerr works with a mindfulness coach to ensure he is in the right frame of mind to compete and train.
He starts his day with 10 minutes of meditation and writing in his training diary to clear his mind and he also hired a chef ahead of the World Championships.
“At this point, I work extremely hard. We’re very strict with diet, sleep, training, and all this stuff,” he said. “How can we unlock the fitness more than anyone else can?”
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell admits he faces a major challenge to alleviate the lengthy absence of strikers Mika Biereth and Jon Obika.
Kettlewell has ruled Obika out until December with a hamstring injury and on-loan Arsenal striker Biereth will likely be missing until mid-November after suffering a knee injury against St Mirren.
Kettlewell – who has not changed his opinion on the tackle that injured Biereth – is limited in what he can do in the transfer market given the club’s spending increases in previous seasons.
He said: “I have always spoken about trying to run with four strikers minimum so that is a huge blow with the news on Mika and Jon Obika, it puts us down to two senior strikers in Theo (Bair) and Conor (Wilkinson).
“Jon Obika, we are probably looking at December. It’s a difficult one but it doesn’t change the situation for me. For us to do any more business, we are in a situation where we are one in, one out.
“It’s been a real tough week and a tough week without a blank canvas just to be able to pick up the reins and go and bring players in.
“But we will continue to work away and see if we can make the situation slightly better.”
Kettlewell declared 17-year-old Mark Ferrie was now “striker number three” while wide player Joe Efford can also play up front but has only had about 15 minutes of action since returning from a long-term thigh injury.
Barry Maguire’s loan move to Kidderminster last week opened a door for a potential new arrival.
“It might help us try and get one across the line,” Kettlewell said. “But the mindset wasn’t that it was in the striker situation at the time. We had been working away on something else trying to get a balance to our squad.
“The fact that (midfielder) Harry Paton has been out and (left-back) Pape Souare is out, it’s a little bit of spinning plates to make sure we have a balance to our squad. We feel Pape will miss several games.
“When I was looking at the start of the week, we had 14 fit senior players.”
Immediately after Saturday’s Viaplay Cup defeat, Kettlewell accused Charles Dunne of making an “absolutely horrendous tackle, two-footed and straight-legged” on Biereth.
In response, the former Motherwell defender claimed he won the ball but “unfortunately slipped” and caught the Denmark Under-21 international. Dunne has contacted Biereth to apologise.
When asked if he had a different opinion on studying the footage, Kettlewell said: “My opinion hasn’t changed.
“One of the things I heard was that he won the ball. What everyone needs to understand – and I need to stress, these aren’t my rules, anyone that watched me play football will realise I picked up more red cards than anybody else and was involved in more crazy challenges than anybody else – but the rules have changed.
“I have lost count of the times I have been told by officials that it doesn’t matter if you win the ball. If you are off the ground, coming in at pace, putting an opponent at risk of injury, coming off the ground, all of those aspects, I was led to believe that was a red card.
“I hear some ridiculous arguments of ‘ah, but he took the ball’… If you have to come through the player and both your legs are wrapped around the standing leg…
“I understand that Charles Dunne has reached out and apologised for the outcome of the challenge so I tip my cap to him and say fair play in that sense. But it doesn’t change the situation that it leaves us short at the top end of the park.”
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