Hamish Kerr

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 finished 10^th 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 10^th in the final.

He continued 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 also picked 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. However, 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.

Hamish Kerr becomes Olympic and World Champion

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 went 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.

Having captured Olympic gold, Kerr turned his attention in 2025 to becoming the World Champion.

Kerr won silver at the 2025 World Indoor Championships with a jump of 2.28 meters, finishing behind South Korean Sanghyeok Woo. He continued to consistently jump between 2.20 to 2.33 meters through the rest of the season,

At the Diamond League Final in Zurich, he jumped one centimeter off his season’s best with 2.33 meters to capture gold. At his next competition, he jumped 2.36 meters at the Tokyo World Championships to capture gold by 2 centimeters over South Korea’s 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 is currently 29 years old.

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, a Gold medal from the 2025 World Championships, 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.