Kerr caps 'great two weeks' with Commonwealth Games gold on home soil

Kerr caps 'great two weeks' with Commonwealth Games gold on home soil
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Summary Josh Kerr won Commonwealth Games men's mile gold in 3:54.12 before a home crowd in Glasgow, capping a remarkable fortnight after breaking the world mile record.

(Reuters) - Scotland's Josh Kerr raced to victory in the men's mile at the Commonwealth Games in front of home fans in ​Glasgow, clocking three minutes 54.12 seconds on Saturday.

Kerr finished comfortably ‌ahead of Australia's Cameron Myers (3:55.26) and Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot (3:55.41), with the world record holder smiling and gesturing to the crowd as he crossed the ​finish line.

"I had some fantastic runners outside me, so ​that box was always going to open up once everything ⁠started to move a little bit," Kerr said.

"It was just ​about staying patient, not panicking, and knowing there was going to ​be space there over the last 200 metres. I just had to take my time and work my way through the box a little bit. ​That's racing."

The home crowd roared Kerr to victory at the ​Scotstoun Stadium where he has been racing since he was a child.

Kerr's medal ‌came ⁠just two weeks after he shattered the 27-year-old world mile record with a time of 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League meeting, breaking Hicham El Guerrouj's long-standing mark by 0.47 seconds.

"To have a ​bit of time ​to enjoy ⁠it in the last 100m is a memorable experience for me," the 28-year-old said.

"To do that ​in front of a home crowd is everything I ​want ⁠to do. It's been a great two weeks, and I'm glad I'm able to perform on the big days."

The mile was added ⁠to this ​edition of the Commonwealth Games after ​an absence of 60 years, with the event last being included in the programme ​in 1966.

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