Josh Kerr sets sights on record-breaking performance in London

Josh Kerr wants to light up the London Stadium with a record-breaking performance on Saturday.

The 27-year-old from Edinburgh will bid to break his own British 1500m record of three minutes 27.79 seconds at the Wanda Diamond League meeting.

However, even though Kerr’s great rival, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, may be absent through injury, he still faces stiff domestic competition just to win the race with fellow Brits George Mills Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley in the field.

“What would satisfy me? A win, number one,” said Kerr, who as the top-ranked competitor will pick the pace set by a pacemaker.

“But I think I can run pretty fast so I would say go out, be aggressive and see what we can come up with.

“We’re coming through the 800m in about one minute 51. That’s the idea. A British record would be a great way for me to run this meet.

“But at the end of the day when you have a race like this, when it’s so packed with a load of great athletes, the number one priority is to win and you’re going to get a good time from that. But I’m not here for a slow race.”

Kerr is building up his preparations to defend his world title in Tokyo in September and is in confident spirits.

“If I can keep training the way I’ve been training I’m going to be in a great spot,” he said.

“I’ve got the British Championships coming up in a couple of weeks, that’s an important meeting, and from there we’ll see what we’re going to do.

“Maybe stay with the training, don’t fight the body too much and let the races come to me.”

Double heptathlon world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson will compete at the long jump at the scene of her Olympic debut and her disappointing fifth-place finish at the 2017 worlds.

“It’s a very special place, a very special stadium, and I’ve got such fond memories of competing here,” said the 32-year-old.

“Highlights for me have been the two championships here, even though at the first one I was 19 and not expected to do much, and the 2017 one was a bit upsetting, but I only have good memories of this place.

“I want to come here and put down a good mark, to give me confidence going into the heptathlon.

“I feel like training has been going well and I’m 100 per cent healthy, and that’s the most important for me.”