Hamish Kerr

EVENT: Athletics: Men's High Jump

High jumper Hamish Kerr won gold in dramatic fashion at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The competition went to a jump-off as Kerr and eventual American Shelby McEwan could not be separated after both progressed at 2.36 but missed all three attempts at 2.38m.

With the bar lowered back to 2.36 both McEwan and Kerr missed their attempts, with the bar lowered again to 2.34. McEwan was the first to jump and failed to clear it. Kerr then floated over 2.34 throwing his hands over his face in disbelief.

The win was New Zealand’s first athletics gold medal since Valerie Adams at the London 2012 Olympics in the shot put. The gold was also New Zealand’s first-ever medal in the high jump at the Olympic Games.

It capped a remarkable rise to the top for Kerr, who three years earlier placed 10th at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Raised in Auckland but now based in Christchurch, Kerr set a national high jump record of 2.31m in 2021 before later that year finishing tenth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

His career continued to improve in 2022, when becoming the first Kiwi to win a global high jump medal with bronze at the World Indoor Championships before later that year winning gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

In March 2024, he set a national record and world leading mark of 2.36m to take an exhilarating gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Kerr is coached by James Sandilands.