- Status: Active
- Height: 198 cm (6’6”)
- Weight: ~80kg (176lbs
- Age: 28
- Birthday: August 17, 1996
- Nationality: New Zealander
- Events: High jump
- Personal Bests:
- High jump: 2.36m
Hamish Kerr Honours
- 2024 Olympic Champion
- 2024 World Indoor Champion
- 2022 Commonwealth Champion
Hamish Kerr Career
Hamish Kerr rose to international acclaim after capturing gold at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 with a jump of 2.36 meters.
Before he became the Olympic Champion, Hamish Kerr equalled the New Zealand national record in 2019 with a leap of 2.30 meters, a result that captured him gold at the Oceania Athletics Championships. He would later compete that season at the World University Games in Italy and the World Athletics Championships in Doha. He would finish 10th in his flight at the World Championships, not advancing to the final.
With global disruption in the international calendar in 2020, Kerr would compete exclusively in New Zealand and Australia the next year. He would have to wait until 2021 to set his new personal best and become the sole New Zealand record holder with a clearance of 2.31 meters at the Capital Classic in Wellington.
Kerr qualified for his first Olympic Games in 2021. He jumped 2.30 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and finished 10th in the final.
He would continue seeing international success through 2022, tying Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi with a jump of 2.31 meters at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships for bronze. He would also pick up a pair of international victories at the Oceania Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Hamish Kerr’s Rise to Olympic Champion
Kerr would add another three centimeters to his personal best in February 2023 at the 29th Banskobystrická latka in Slovakia, and he won his first Diamond League Meeting at the
BAUHAUS-Galan Meeting in Sweden. He had a disappointing finish at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, failing to qualify for the final with a jump of 2.22 meters.
Kerr appeared to be in top form going into the 2024 season. He jumped over 2.20 meters in his first four meetings of the winter before setting his current personal best of 2.36 meters to win the World Athletics Indoor Championship in Glasgow. The jump would finish the year one centimeter behind Giamarco Tamberi’s 2.37-meter jump.
Kerr showed consistency over the 2.30-meter barrier through the season, clearing at least this height at three Diamond League meetings that he won leading into the Olympics.
Kerr had an early scare in the preliminary round of the high jump at the Paris Olympics. After clearing the opening height of 2.15 meters, he missed 2.20 meters twice. Ultimately, it would require 2.24 meters to qualify for the final.
Kerr cleared 2.20 meters on his third attempt and seemed to find his form. After missing his first attempt at 2.24 meters, he cleared the height and then cleared 2.27 meters on his first attempt to finish the qualifying round.
Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim were the co-winners of the 2020 Olympics, and two of the favorites of the men’s Olympic high jump final heading into the competition. However, Tamberi had spent the night before the final in the hospital with kidney stones, and Barshim was dealing with a calf injury he sustained during qualifying.
Kerr got off to a good start clearing 2.17, 2.22, and 2.27 meters on his first attempt. Tamberi would go out at 2.22 meters, visibly looking exhausted and out of form from his illness.
Kerr missed his first two attempts at 2.31 meters before rallying to clear 2.34 and 2.36 meters perfectly. The only other man to clear 2.36 meters was the American Shelby McEwen, who had been perfect except for two misses at 2.34 meters.
Barshim would miss 2.36 meters twice and take an attempt at 2.38 meters, missing and settling for bronze. Kerr and Shelby McEwan both missed 2.38 meters, sending the competition to a jump-off. Both men missed 2.38 and 2.36 meters in the jump-off before Kerr sealed gold with a clearance at 2.34 meters.
After the Olympics
Kerr won silver at the 2025 World Indoor Championships with a jump of 2.28 meters, finishing behind South Korean Sanghyeok Woo.
Personal Life and Other Facts
Tamsin Chittock has been Kerr’s longtime physiotherapist. As reported by an interview on Olympics.com, she helped quell his nerves at the 2020 Olympics by telling him:
“You’re gonna be more disappointed if you go there and you don’t give it your all, and you don’t give it 100 per cent effort. If you no height, so be it. But if you give it 100 per cent effort, then there’s nothing else you can do about it.”
Hamish Kerr FAQS
How Tall is Hamish Kerr? | How Much Does Hamish Kerr Weigh?
Hamish Kerr is listed as ~198 cm (6’6”) on his Olympic profile. He was listed as 80kg on his profile for the World University Games in 2017.
How Old is Hamish Kerr?
Hamish Kerr was born in 1996 and will turn 29 in August 2025.
What is the Hamish Kerr meme?
Despite winning the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics, an internet meme has been circulating showing one of Kerr’s bailed attempts and including a funny caption outlining various scenerios.
View this post on Instagram
How many medals does Hamish Kerr have?
Hamish Kerr has one Olympic medal, gold from 2024. He also has a gold medal from the Commonwealth Games, three medals from the World Indoor Championships, and many more medals from other national and international competitions.
Who is Hamish Kerr’s partner? | Is Hamish Kerr Married?
In 2024, it was revealed that Kerr’s girlfriend was fellow New Zealand track athlete Maddie Wilson.