After Josh Kerr became Great Britain's first ever Ultimate Champion with a dominant victory in the 1500m in Budapest on Sunday evening, he celebrated in customary fashion - Union Jack draped around him, beaming smile, arms raised before the cheering crowd.
But he also did something less traditional, ramping up a battle over funding at the top of athletics in the process.
The 28-year-old made a clear point of obscuring the Nike sponsor's logo on his Great Britain kit by tying his Brooks-branded running spikes over his shoulder, meaning that the video footage and photographs of his trophy lift highlighted his own personal sponsor rather than his nation's.
After praising the inaugural running of the Ultimate Championship, a new biennial event run by World Athletics with a focus on big names, Kerr explained the meaning behind the move in his interview with BBC Sport.
"There is one last thing that I think we can get right, which is allowing the athletes to represent their own brands versus their country," Kerr said.
#ultimate #athletics #josh #champion
But he also did something less traditional, ramping up a battle over funding at the top of athletics in the process.
The 28-year-old made a clear point of obscuring the Nike sponsor's logo on his Great Britain kit by tying his Brooks-branded running spikes over his shoulder, meaning that the video footage and photographs of his trophy lift highlighted his own personal sponsor rather than his nation's.
After praising the inaugural running of the Ultimate Championship, a new biennial event run by World Athletics with a focus on big names, Kerr explained the meaning behind the move in his interview with BBC Sport.
"There is one last thing that I think we can get right, which is allowing the athletes to represent their own brands versus their country," Kerr said.
#ultimate #athletics #josh #champion
2 months ago
