New Zealander Hamish Kerr celebrates after winning the men's high jump final during the Indoor World Athletics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo: AFP
Nerves got to Hamish Kerr on his way to world glory in Glasgow, forcing him to spend some time in the bathroom during the competition.
The 27-year-old Christchurch-based athlete produced a performance of near perfection to claim the biggest honour of his career so far with victory at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow.
He is just the third New Zealander to win a world indoor title after shot putters Dame Valerie Adams and Tom Walsh.
Kerr shattered the New Zealand record, equalled the Oceania record and set a world leading height of 2.36m to strike gold.
Kerr, who is known for his fun approach to training and competition, admits that was far from the case today.
"I wasn't calm and relaxed," he said.
"I knew I was in good form, I got a really good feeling from the track straight away (during warmups), but it was about trying to calm the nerves.
"I knew I needed to focus on myself today and in a sport where there are so many other things going on the only thing I can control is my emotion and technical queues.
Photo: S. Di Carlo Darsa / Altopress
"So as the competition progressed it got harder to focus on that as the outcome became more and more important and so I did go to the bathroom a few times to just sit there and do a bit of breathing work and bring myself back to the present."
It obviously worked as he applied huge pressure to the rest of the field as he was successful with his fourth straight jump with a season best leap of 2.28m which guaranteed him a medal.
He then cleared 2.31m which was too much for American Shelby McEwen and defending champion Sanghyeok Woo of the Korean Republic.
Kerr failed at 2.34 but feeling confident and in the zone, he switched his focus to 2.36m, 2cm beyond his national record and an Oceania record-equalling mark previously achieved by Australian's Tim Forsyth and Brandon Starc.
After narrowly missing out with his first attempt with his final effort he soared imperiously over the bar and as he lay on the mat, he held his head in his hands in sheer disbelief at what he had accomplished.
"It's just a great sign of things to come, the work we've been doing in New Zealand and the approach we've taken to this season is really working.
"But at the same time I know going into the Olympics there are some big boys who are doing some pretty good training and some good stuff behind closed doors and so it's going to be a good challenge and something I can't wait to get amongst."
Neither of the joint Olympic champions (Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim) were competing in Glasgow.
"Probably the only thing I could have added to the dream (day) was jumping 2.38m, which is the goal this year."
Kerr now returns home for the National Championships before heading back to the northern hemisphere for the Diamond League season and then the Paris Olympics in July and August.
