Dame Denise Lewis is backing Josh Kerr to lead British hopes at next year’s home European Championships in Birmingham after declaring a ‘golden age’ of men’s middle distance running.
Reigning 1500m world champion Kerr will defend his title in Tokyo in September this year and will then have the opportunity to add the European title in front of a British crowd in the summer of 2026.
The Edinburgh athlete will reignite his rivalry with six-time European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen on each occasion, with fellow Scots Neil Gourley and Jake Wightman also aiming to be in the medal mix.
Lewis believes the battle between Ingebrigtsen and the British contingent will be one of the highlights at the Alexander Stadium.
“We are back to the golden age of middle distance running,” she said.
“These guys are running super quick times, we have strength in depth where our athletes are fighting for gold medals.
“We want to see competition, we want to see head-to-heads.
“It is great to have the likes of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, he doesn’t shy away from the competition, that duel with Josh Kerr is so exciting.”
The 2026 Championships will be the first time the Europeans have ever been hosted in the UK.
It will also be the first standalone outdoor athletics event hosted in Britain since the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, with Birmingham and Glasgow hosting the World Indoor Athletics Championships since then.
With a wealth of British talent aiming to take to the stage in Birmingham, Kerr himself can't wait to make history as he looks to clinch European gold on home soil while he's at the top of his game.
He said: “Having a home championship in 2026 is an incredible opportunity not only for the athletes competing but for the UK athletics community and fanbase.
"The energy that our home crowd brings is like nowhere else in the world and I can’t wait to experience that in my career at a point where I feel like I’m competing at my highest level."
Kerr could be joined in Birmingham by four-time European medallist and European record holder Eilish McColgan.
The Dundee athlete saw a wealth of success in her last outing in Birmingham with 10,000m gold and 5,000m silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland.
The Alexander Stadium is therefore the centrepiece for what was a pivotal moment in her career and with the prospect of combining with the other home nations at the upcoming European Championships, the Scot revealed her excitement for what is set to be an incredible event.
"Competing at the Alexander Stadium during the 2022 Commonwealth Games was such a memorable experience for me.
"The atmosphere was incredible and having the home crowd behind us made it even more special.
"For the GB & NI team, having that level of support again for the European Championships will be amazing as it’ll give everyone an extra boost to perform at their best."
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