Josh Kerr narrowly missed out on Olympic gold in the 1500m final despite finishing ahead of bitter rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
The Edinburgh-born runner won silver after being pipped by USA’s Cole Hocker in a new Olympic record.
The much-hyped showdown was billed as a two-horse race with Ingebrigtsen, but Hocker’s sprint in the final straight gave him a shock gold and a time of 3:27.65.
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Norwegian Ingebrigtsen finished out of the medals in fourth after setting a blistering pace and leading for most of the race.
American Yared Nuguse took bronze but was only a hundredth of a second behind Kerr.
There had been much talk beforehand about Kerr and Ingebrigtsen’s apparent dislike for each other after trading barbs over the past year or so.
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Kerr’s time of 3:27.79 is a British record and the 26-year-old appeared delighted with his silver, grabbing a union flag and hugging supporters on a lap of honour.
Speaking trackside, he admitted he was desperate for gold but said he was “really proud” and that it was a “heck of a step in the right direction”.
Kerr, who beat Ingebrigtsen to gold in the world championships last year, won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Other medals for Team GB on Tuesday were a silver for the men’s team sprint in the velodrome and a bronze for 16-year-old Sky Brown in the skateboarding.
Boxer Lewis Richardson, from Colchester, already has a bronze but hopes to secure at least a silver in the middleweight semi-final tonight.
Meanwhile, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita missed out on the medals in the 200m final in the last event on track on Tuesday.
Asher-Smith – who was distraught after not making the 100m final – put in a strong performance but finished fourth in 22.22, with Neita in fifth.
America’s Gabby Thomas took gold, with 100m champion Julien Alfred in silver and Brittany Brown third.
Asher-Smith was far more upbeat after the race, telling reporters she was “really proud to have held my own” in such a a strong field.
Elsewhere, there was heartbreak for Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix earlier in the day, with the young British diver in tears after only managing sixth in the 10m platform final.
The 19-year-old already claimed a bronze in the synchronised event earlier in the games.
