Speaking after his victory, Kerr referenced the “stick” he receives for not competing as much as others.
But he is in no doubt that it is because of that approach that he is able to seize the career-defining moments when they arrive.
In response to criticism from Ingebrigtsen over his decision to skip the European Championships in Birmingham, Kerr said he “was not a robot” and would continue to approach each season by targeting only a few competitions to avoid injury and maintain consistent high levels of performance.
While the Ultimate Championship was not one of those dates at the beginning of the year, it was no surprise that World Athletics made sure he could be present – nor that Kerr took the sport’s governing body up on the offer.
Kerr is, after all, blockbuster. He underlined his position as one of the sport’s biggest draws when he boldly announced his record-breaking intentions months in advance before delivering his historic mile performance in front of 60,000 British fans in July.
There were also no mistakes in Scotland, despite the pressure which came with his role as headline act in front of an expectant home crowd.
It is just 12 months since Kerr’s world title defence was ended by a calf tear in Tokyo.
But, having recovered to reach career-best fitness, the next three years now provide him with the opportunity to cement himself among the all-time greats.
With two World Championships – the second potentially in London – either side of the next Olympic Games, Kerr will continue to ignore the outside noise and follow his established winning formula.
“Obviously I get a lot of stick for not racing so much,” Kerr said. “But it allows me to come here fresh and ready to go.”
