Hamish Kerr has continued to reach new heights over in Europe with the Kiwi high jumper breaking his New Zealand record en route to winning the Banska Bystrica indoor meet in Slovakia this morning.
Kerr jumped 2.34m to beat his previous best by 3cm, achieving the winning height at the first time of asking to defeat Andriy Protsenko, the World Championship bronze medallist from Ukraine.
The jump is also an Oceania Indoor record and surpasses the automatic entry standard for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
“I’m stoked. We’ve put so much work in and made some big calls over the last 12-18 months about how I train and the approach that I take with my team, so this affirms we are on the right track," Kerr said.
"I’ve always said I want to be the best in the world, and this is a decent step in the right direction. I’m just so stoked.
“I felt good throughout the competition and thanks to the physical prep I’ve done I’m able to jump deeper into the competition."
Kerr started the meet in perfect form, clearing the bar on his first attempts from his opening height of 2.10m through to 2.30m, matching his season’s best performance.
The 26-year-old then missed his opening attempt at 2.32m but he opted to pass his two remaining attempts at that height after Protsenko just cleared it.
Instead, Kerr responded with the pressure on to clear the next height of 2.34m, breaking his record as well as the 26-year-old Oceania Indoor record previously held by Australian Tim Forsyth of 2.33m. It also elevates him to No.2 on the world lists.
“My first attempt at 2.32m I got a little hasty on the bar and then when Protsenko cleared 2.32m, I decided to pass because the reason I’d come to Europe was not to win comps but to jump high," Kerr said.
"The fact he put me under pressure was really good, but I had full confidence I was going to do it. The 2.34m was a little bit touch and go, I did rattle the bar but as I dropped down on the mat it stayed up. It’s awesome."
The Kiwi missed out on 2.36m but secured victory after Protsenko could go no higher than 2.32m.
It adds to stellar season so far for the Commonwealth Games champion after he previously won two domestic meets in Hawera and Whanganui before heading out to Europe for the indoor season, where he clinched victories in Hustopece (2.30m) and Torun (2.27m).
Kerr concludes his European indoor campaign with an outing at the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final next Sunday before he heads back to New Zealand to compete at the New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Wellington next month.
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