‘Pretty scary’ but Kerr leaps into final
Hamish Kerr covered his face with both hands, the enormity of his crunch clearance sending a wave of emotions through his almost 2m tall frame.
There was relief, of course, after the high jumper cleared the 2.20m bar with his third attempt to stay alive in the qualifier, but it was swamped by fear.
As the world indoor champion hopped off the padding, shaking his head and giving it a couple of strong taps, it was impossible for the Christchurch-based athlete to not think how close his dreams were to being buried so soon.
“I was trying not to cry, to be honest. It was pretty scary. I was s .... ing myself,’’ Kerr told media in the mixed zone.
Kerr could smile about it by then. After all, after surviving the scare at the second height at a packed Stade de France in Paris on Wednesday night (NZT), he went on to qualify second for Sunday morning’s final.
The 27-year-old was one of five athletes to clear 2.27m, nailing the height with his first attempt.
But it was far from the case about 90 minutes earlier, when he badly missed with his first two attempts at 2.20m, a height that’s typically child’s play for the man who headed into the Olympics on the back of two Diamond League wins.
Facing an elimination jump, Kerr paced around the edge of the track waiting for his crunch moment, before turning to the crowd and encouraging them to help him out with some extra noise.
As if he needed another reminder what was at stake, Kerr got it from the public announcer anyway as he stood at the top of his run-up, his eyes locked on his target.
“I’ve faced a few of those jumps in my life and not all of them were pulled off. I had to dig pretty deep for that one. I’m so grateful I had my coach around me, my team around me and the people that knew what I needed to do in that time. They’re the ones that gave me the belief that I could do it,’’ Kerr said.
Kerr cleared the bar at 2.24m with his second attempt, before officials decided to increase the height to 2.27m in a bid to shake off a couple more athletes and cut the field to 12 for the final. Moments after reigning champion Essa Mutaz Barshim, of Qatar, pulled up with a leg injury – he later cleared 2.27m – Kerr soared over the bar with his best jump of the day.
While Kerr qualified for his, Kiwi javelin thrower Tori Peeters’ best effort of 59.78m wasn’t enough to extend her Olympics.
James Preston, who in May broke Sir Peter Snell’s 62-year-old national 800m record, finished eighth (1.48.50) in his heat but will get another shot to reach the semifinals via the repechage.
“I’ve faced a few of those jumps in my life and not all of them were pulled off. I had to dig pretty deep for that one.’’
Hamish Kerr