Kerr injures midrace as Nader wins 1500m gold at Tokyo Worlds

Defending world champion Josh Kerr limped out of the men's 1500 metres final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Wednesday after suffering what race reports described as an injury midway through the race, leaving Portugal's Isaac Nader to claim gold in a dramatic sprint finish. Official results show Nader won in 3:34.10, with Great Britain's Jake Wightman taking silver in 3:34.12 and Kenya's Reynold Cheruiyot third in 3:34.25. Kerr finished well adrift of the leaders after the problem emerged.

Kerr had arrived in Tokyo as the 2023 world champion and one of the favourites to defend his title, but the final unfolded in unexpected fashion. Television footage and on-the-ground accounts showed the 27-year-old appear to tighten and hobble partway through the race, losing contact with the main pack before completing the distance substantially behind the medal contenders. Officials and team staff are expected to give a medical update in the coming days.

The final had already been reshaped before the start by two high-profile absences. Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen failed to advance from the heats after an injury-marred build-up and an Achilles issue. Olympic champion...