'prepare For A Battle' - Kerr Warns 1500m Rivals

Great Britain's defending champion Josh Kerr said his rivals must beryllium prepared for a "real battle" if they are to return his world 1500m crown, connected a nighttime erstwhile Olympic golden medallist Cole Hocker was disqualified from nan competition.

Kerr, who had to settee for metallic down Hocker past summer, is nan only jock from nan apical 5 astatine nan Paris Games done to nan last successful Tokyo.

The 27-year-old led for nan mostly of his semi-final but, falling crossed nan statement aft being tripped from behind, he vanished down Dutch contender Niels Laros.

Team-mate Jake Wightman, nan 2022 world champion, and Neil Gourley some besides progressed to nan final.

But American Hocker was later disqualified for "jostling" aft being deemed to person gained an unfair advantage successful forcing his measurement past Germany's Robert Farken, who was reinstated aft finishing 10th pursuing nan incident connected nan location straight.

The badge conflict had already been blown wide unfastened successful nan heats, wherever Frenchman Azeddine Habz and talented Kenyan teen Phanuel Koech - nan 2 fastest 1500m runners this twelvemonth - and Norwegian prima Jakob Ingebrigtsen, each exited.

The men's 1500m last takes spot connected Wednesday astatine 14:20 BST.

"I person my activity trim retired for me, but I consciousness beautiful confident," said Kerr.

"We're getting places. I would opportunity it's among nan astir assured I've gone into a world final.

"But each championships bring their ain benignant of challenges and fun, and I'll support doing what I tin to show up and badge and spell aft nan gold.

"It's my title, it will beryllium a existent conflict for whoever wants to travel return it disconnected of me."

Earlier connected Monday night, Great Britain's Tyri Donovan produced a sensational dive crossed nan statement to suffice from his men's 400m hurdles heat.

In a hopeless last-ditch effort to make nan apical 4 automatic qualification places, nan 26-year-old vanished 2nd successful a individual champion 48.26 seconds - nan fourth-fastest clip of nan round.

Team-mate Alastair Chalmers besides progressed, but Seamus Derbyshire missed out.

Tade Ojora grounded to suffice for nan semi-finals of nan men's 110m hurdles, finishing eighth successful his heat.

Meanwhile, successful nan men's 3,000m steeplechase final, New Zealand's Geordie Beamish hit Morocco's two-time defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali successful a thrilling finish.