How Kerr made the leap into Olympic medal contention
Hamish Kerr explains how a notable global triumph in Glasgow could be the springboard to bigger and better things in 2024. Marc Hinton reports.
When the elation, and celebration, finally died down in Glasgow, Hamish Kerr took some time to rewatch his leap into history and digest the repercussions. The upshot, admits the Olympic high jump medal hopeful soon after, is a “scary place to be”.
Good scary, but scary nonetheless, smiles the 27-year-old Christchurchbased athlete as he chats to Stuff in the week of the national championships in Wellington, which he is sitting out in the interests of both short-term welfare and long-term ambitions.
It’s a decision you get to make when you have just created history with a record-breaking leap of 2.36 metres to win gold at the world athletics indoor championships in Glasgow, to spearhead the finest performance by a Kiwi team at a global meet.
With Geordie Beamish matching Kerr’s feat just hours later in the 1500 metres, and shot put ace Tom Walsh and pole vaulter Eliza McCartney both grabbing silver medals laced with poignancy, New Zealand occupied rare air on the international athletics stage.
Kerr’s effort, setting a national record and equalling the Oceania mark, was significant. Not only was it the world lead for the year, and a height that thrusts a high jumper immediately into the global medal mix, but the spinoffs in confidence, belief and potential are off the charts.
It was a leap, reckoned Kerr, that endorsed everything he and new coach James Sandilands have been doing in
Christchurch. “We knew it was there,” he reflects.
“There were some talented guys in that field, but we knew if I brought my A-game something special could happen. The thing that shocked me most was … we ultimately won it at 2.31, which is nothing to write home about. But to nail that 2.36 to jump one of the [top] heights cleared the last couple of years, it was, ‘holy s..., we’re really on track here’.”
For context, 2.36 or 2.37 has been the money height for all the major titles in recent years. And when Kerr revisited the best clearance of his life, he was even more encouraged.
“It tells us we’re on the right track. But the most exciting, and scary, thing is it also felt like there’s so much more to come. I was shocked. When I went back and looked at it closely, I thought, ‘wow, that was actually a really good jump’. There was a couple of extra centimetres to spare there.
“It makes all those things we’ve been working towards become a reality. It’s a kinda scary place to be.”
Kerr has two major goals for 2024, off what he calls a “mixed” season last year, and neither is ticked off yet. The first is to jump 2.38 and the second is to medal in Paris. One may well beget the other.
“To walk away [from Glasgow] not having ticked off one of those goals, we can say it’s half a mark off the performance. That shows the intent of where we think we can get to. A 2.36 in a competition where no-one else was jumping high is amazing. But we are ready to compete, and there are some cool opportunities coming up before the Olympics where that 2.38 could be on.”
For a high jumper, the swag factor is almost as important as bounciness. It’s such a headspace event.
“It’s pretty confronting,” notes Kerr. “Other events like shot put or long jump you stand at the top of your runup or back of the circle and you have to produce a performance. We have to clear this bar.
“I guess the deer in the headlights mentality can exist. Some jumps have seismic proportions, for your career or even your sport, but you have to put that aside and just jump.”
To that extent, it’s worth asking whether Glasgow has ramped up any extra pressure.
Kerr smiles. “I was joking around with Eliza the morning of my final, and the day after her second place, saying it was good you didn’t win because you’d have a big target on your back going into Paris …
“There is added expectation now, but
I’ve earned that. It’s an exciting place to be. What are we doing it for if not to win? It comes with the territory. And I’ve got the processes and people around me to guide me through that.”
It’s interesting that Kerr’s latest jump in performance has come soon after a key coaching change, with former biomechanist and strength-and-conditioning man Sandilands, who’s also a close friend, upgraded to the top role.
Veteran mentor Terry Lomax remains involved, but this is very much Sandilands’ show now.
“You could say in Olympic year that’s
a bold move, but t’s been great,” reflects Kerr. “Jimmy creates an awesome training environment, and it’s really helped.
“I don’t need reminding of how tense the next few months are going to be. Having someone quietly coaxing me along, and still making sure I’m having a good time, has been inspiring.”
This is a tough event Kerr competes in, and it’s fair to say he has learnt to smell the roses along the way. It’s why he enjoyed Glasgow so much. Yes, it wasn’t the Olympics, and, yes, some key rivals were absent. But still …
“Every success builds my confidence.’’