The largest ever Kiwi contingent is set to feature at next weekend's World Indoor Athletics Championships, an event held every two years. Among the eight athletes who'll be in Scotland is Commonwealth Games gold medallist Hamish Kerr.
"I know that compared to last time the competition is gonna be much stiffer, but at the same time I'm ready for it," he said.
Kerr made history at the World Indoors in 2022, becoming the first New Zealand high jumper to win a global medal with bronze.
Two years on, with the Commonwealth title and a national record, he's ready to lift the bar.
"The way we've been training and the metrics we track physically compared to three years ago is just so much better.
"I think genuinely 2.38 (metres) is on the cards this year for sure," he said.
The best jump in the world last year was 2.36 metres.
New coach James Sandilands — who until now has been in the background doing biomechanics — backs Kerr to do it.
"I think we've seen some really good signs early on even domestically that he's jumping well.
"Just to get him into bigger competitions against the bigger guys and see how he responds (is the big thing) 'cause we know he's a scrappy guy who loves to get amongst the competition," said Sandilands.
Kerr wants to make a statement at the competition as he continues to build towards the Paris Olympics later this year.
"I love indoors, I love competing on those tracks, it's something I've really geared towards. I'm there to try and win it."
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