KERR-CHING!

Josh determined to strike gold in track showdown of summer... and prove he's miles better than bitter rival Jakob on Saturday

- ALAN SMITH

IT will be the track showdown of the summer when Josh Kerr does battle with his bitter rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen over 1500 metres in the Paris Olympics.

The bad feeling between the two middle-distance greats came to a head in last year's world championships when Kerr beat the Olympic champion into second place.

And the Norwegian was less than complimentary about the Scot's victory.

Kerr knows that to win Olympic gold 76 days from now he must run faster than the 3:29 of that race in Budapest.

He is also aware that Ingebrigtsen is unlikely to let a Brit pass him in the final 200m for a third straight summer.

As a result, Kerr has already settled on his tactics, which will be kept secret until the evening of August 6.

But he said: "I need to be better. I have to be realistic and know I'm not the current Olympic champion. It's Ingebrigtsen's title - and it's his title to lose."

This Saturday will provide an early indicator of what to expect from the Paris Games' most anticipated race.