Josh Kerr says hearing Flower of Scotland after winning Commonwealth gold medal was a special moment

Scotland’s Josh Kerr has spoken of the special moment he heard Flower of Scotland as he received his gold medal from the First Minister after his Commonwealth Games one-mile race victory.

Kerr stormed ahead of his competitors, including fellow Scot Jake Wightman, to take the gold at Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday evening with a time of 3.54.12, ahead of Australia’s Cameron Myers and Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot.

It comes after Kerr shattered the world record for the distance in July at the London Diamond League meeting, with a time of 3.42.66.

Speaking to reporters following his win, he said: “To be able to have Flower of Scotland playing, versus the GB national anthem, it’s just different.

“There’s not many times in my career I’ll have that, so I appreciate it.”

There was some noticeable pushing during the race, but Kerr said: “As long as you stay on your feet, you’re fine.”

Kerr said winning Commonwealth gold on the track he learned how to race was another special moment.

“Glasgow’s been good to me,” he said. “I’m very happy to be here and perform, this is where I learned to race.

“I’ve had some pretty bad ones out there. I’ve been battered by some of my rivals early on. It’s how I learned how to race.”

Following his win, Kerr took a victory lap and signed autographs for waiting fans.

He added: “I have to take my time out there [greeting fans] because they’ve waited and put their hard-earned money to come out and watch me perform, and it’s my job to go out and do it, so I appreciate all the support.”