The world may have just read of his successes and failures. But only a few have been privy to the journey Josh Kerr has had, leading up to those moments. Well, his family is certainly on that list. From the time he set foot out of their Edinburgh abode at 17 to the routes he navigated before being titled the 1500m world champion in Budapest, his parents have seen it all.

Through his collapses and climbs, good and bad days, the Kerrs have withstood it all like a concrete unit. So, let’s explore more about his parents.

Who is Josh Kerr’s father?

The knack for sports seems to run deep in the Kerr family. As per records, Josh’s parents are John and Jill Kerr, both of whom have been avid athletes themselves. His father, a professional rugby player for the Caledonia Reds in his time, mastered the art of team play and conquering his opponents with the oval-shaped ball. Taking after him, Josh’s older brother Jake treads the same course, being Bristol Bears’ newest hooker since 2021.

Further, Kerr has a strong sense of belief in his family. And he hardly ever fails to acknowledge their contribution. Even when all eyes were on him and rightly so, as he had just been crowned the world champion, Kerr took a moment to appreciate his very own support system. “It’s quite an overwhelming experience. But I am so proud of myself, my team and my family,” he said, including them in his historic win.

With his eyes welled up, Kerr continued to articulate the magnitude of this victory for his family. “This is a lot for our family and they’ve put a lot of time, effort and money in to me…They’ve given me so much and it was nice to pay that back a little bit today.” He said. Well, it does take substantial backend support for an athlete to blaze through their career. Fortunately, the victory was a happy ending for the Kerr clan, as so were Josh’s words as he confessed, “I just couldn’t be prouder to represent the Kerr family name today.”

With that, let’s look at this mother, who has also always supported her son in his journey.

Who is Josh Kerr’s mother?

His mother, Jill Kerr, is the daughter of Jackie Campbell, who was a rugby player in Haddington RFC. Further, she is an avid golfer, whilst being a professional physiotherapist. She has a successful physiotherapy practice in running in Morningside. In terms of academics, she has a B.A. (Hons.) in Consumer Studies from Queen Margaret University.

Further, Jill is also an Event Manager at DIGIT.FYI, where she is involved in organizing large technology showcases among other events. Prior to this, she has worked in various event management positions, with roles at SHSC Events and MacKay Hannah in Edinburgh, Scotland. Before she took on her current position, she is said to have been working in New Zealand as a Project Administrator at Tonkin + Taylor. While she worked there, she largely dealt with queries related to the Christchurch 2011 earthquake.

Now that we know about John and Jill, let’s learn about their nationality.

What is Josh Kerr’s parents nationality?

Just like his parents, Josh Kerr seems to be extremely proud of his Scottish heritage. His parents have strong ties to the Haddington area in Scotland. Further, the middle-distance runner was born in Scotland on October 8, 1997. Subsequently, he took to the track and field domain when he was 8 and initially trained at the Edinburgh Athletic Club. At the age of 17, in his quest to excel on track, Kerr moved to the USA, where he onboarded the University of New Mexico.

Interestingly, Kerr had never even been to the U.S. before. However, his dreams and hopes for a better future propelled him to the country. Besides, Kerr is British by nationality and is set to participate in the Grand Slam Track in 2025. He has officially signed with Michael Johnson for it.