Brutal qualifying races in Tokyo see Abel Kipsang clock 3:31.65 as Brits Jake Wightman, Josh Kerr and Jake Heyward all progress to Saturday’s final

There will be a new Olympic champion in the men’s 1500m after Matt Centrowitz – the American who won in Rio – finished ninth in his semi-final on Thursday evening in Tokyo. The fast-finishing Marcin Lewandowski will not be able to add to Poland’s impressive medal haul at these Games, either, after pulling up injured in the closing stages of his race.

The final of the metric mile will be poorer for their absence but don’t think for one moment that this will be a weak event. It could yet be the most exciting race of an Olympic Games that has already served up a feast of world record-breaking performances.

World champion Timothy Cheruiyot is the man to beat, but challenging him will be the prodigious Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, the US champion Cole Hocker and three British runners who will be trying to win their nation’s first Olympic medal in this event since Peter Elliott in 1988.

One of the Brits is Jake Wightman, who won the first semi-final with a strong finish in 3:33.48. Close behind was Hocker, with Cheruiyot perhaps showing a chink in his armour as he was seemingly unable to respond as Wightman flew past entering the home straight.

Australian Oliver Hoare and Spaniard Ignacio Fontes also qualified, in fourth and fifth, after Lewandowski pulled up suddenly down the back straight on the last lap clutching his calf.

Wightman had covered his last lap in a hot 52.7 and  his last 200m in a very sharp 25.5 despite easing back slightly.

Things were about to get even hotter in the second semi, though which not only was the fastest  global heat in history but was also the fastest race ever seen in the Games.

With 3:31.65 Abel Kipsang of Kenya ran an Olympic record ahead of Ingebrigtsen’s 3:32.13 and Josh Kerr’s 3:32.18. Kerr’s time is the fastest time ever run by a British athlete in this event at the Olympics – quicker than the 3:32.53 that Seb Coe ran to win the 1984 title – and behind him followed Adel Mechaal of Spain, Stewart McSweyn of Australia and Britain’s Jake Heyward, the up-and-coming Welshman clocking a PB of 3:32.82 to take one of the fastest qualifying spots for the final.

Defending champion Matt Centowitz won’t be in the final though as he ran 3:33.69 – far quicker than the previous fastest non qualifier in Olympic history but he was beaten to that honour by eighth-placer Abdelatif Sadiki of Morocco (3:33.59)

Kerr ran his last 400m in 54.4 and Heyward 55.4. Kerr’s last 1200m was 2:48.9.

Kerr bounced back from an under par run in the heats where he only qualified as one of the fastest losers for the semi-finals. “I had to recalibrate,” he said, adding: “This is one of the hardest 1500m teams to make for the Olympics. We’ve left people at home who could probably make an Olympic final so it’s really tough and we have to come out and perform.”

READ MORE: All or nothing for Josh Kerr

Heyward said: “When you come and represent the British team you’ve got to be making the finals, that’s the minimum standard set and Jake and Josh have set the standard over the last couple of years.”

As for Wightman, he said the three Brits were all good friends and added: “I hope that’s not my best run, I definitely want it to be in the final and I feel like I am good enough at the moment to try to challenge for medals.”

Despite being out-kicked in his semi-final, Cheruiyot will still be favourite for gold. He said ominously after his race: “I was only running fast enough to qualify. I tried to push on the last 400m. I only wanted to get to the top four, to qualify for the final.

“In the final we hope to run under 3.30.”

Tune in 8.40pm (12.40pm BST) Saturday. It looks like being unmissable.