If Josh Kerr wanted to fly under the radar then he probably wouldn't have raced in a pair of golden spikes.

Kerr unveiled his new bling footwear in front of a capacity crowd at the Stade de France and then showed his rivals a clean pair of heels too.

His potential 1500m final showdown with Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen is one of the most eagerly awaited events at these Olympics but he was not getting ahead of himself after easing through his heat.

The world champion judged his tactics to perfection, hugging the back of the field before storming through to win with ease.

Not since Christian VII clashed with George III's navy have Britain and Norway been pitted together in such a fierce battle.

This bickering rivalry has echoes of Coe v Ovett in the eighties - and is just what athletics needs.

Ingebrigtsen has questioned why Kerr races so little, this was just his second 1500m appearance this season but the Scot - shades on, all business - wouldn't be drawn.

"I would like to be defined by my career at the end of it," he said, after clocking 3:35.83.

"Everyone can have their own opinions, I absolutely have no problems with that.

Everyone wants to compare me to everyone else.

"I’m telling myself, I’m exactly where I need to be. Being able to come out, stay relaxed, stay very present and close the way I did, it shows me that I’m ready to go. 

"Everyone gets really angsty in these first rounds because of all the build-up, the hype and it’s a big stadium with lots of people. I just made sure I stayed relaxed and when it was time to go, I put the burners on … maybe a little bit too hard.

"I thought everyone was going to be battling with me. But I felt exactly how I thought I would, and it was a reassuring thing."

Fellow Scot Neil Gourley also progressed straight to Monday's semi-finals but George Mills will need to come through the weekend’s repechages after what he admitted was a horror race.

Gourley needed a sprint finish to book his place but claimed he could have no complaints with his preparations.

"Physically I am in the best spot I’ve ever been in," said Gourley, who needed a sprint finish to secure a place in the top six, his time 3:37.18.

"The last few worlds I have gone in carrying something. So it is the first time I’ve come in with a clean bill of health. That’s based on the work I’ve done in training, which doesn’t mean everything, but it’s a strong positive indicator."

In the evening, Jemma Reekie reckons she is ‘back where she belongs’ after breezing into her 800m semi-final.

The Ayrshire ace, who grabbed a memorable world indoor title in Glasgow earlier this year, crossed the line in two minutes exactly after setting a Scottish record at the Diamond League meeting in London last month.

Reekie, 26, narrowly missed out on a medal in Tokyo as she finished fourth behind champion Athing Mu – absent in Paris after falling in the US trials – British teammate Keely Hodgkinson and American Raevyn Rogers.

But she believes she is in a ‘much better place’ this time around as she bids to propel herself onto the Paris podium.

“It felt good, and I’m in good shape,” she said.

“I focused on just staying in control and get it done. Having London, coming in at number two, I’m back where I belong - I’m back chasing those medals. 

“I know the semis will be hard, but I’m going to go out and do it again.”

Hodgkinson, 22, cruised through her heat in a time of 1:59.31 to kick off her campaign for a maiden global gold.

The Manchester star, who featured in National Lottery documentary Path to Paris: The Hunt for Gold in the build-up to the Games, is a two-time world silver medallist having also won the same colour in Japan three years ago.

And after cruising to victory on Friday night, she said: “I’m just happy to qualify through because it was a quite a tough heat. I’m just glad to make it through safely. The semis will be fun. 

“The final I know I just have to give everything, but the heats and rounds you have everyone giving it there all, but I am trying to save my energy and you are trying to not make any mistakes.”

Scottish sprinter Nicole Yeargin formed part of Britain’s 4x400m mixed relay team as they safely navigated their way to the final.

Yeargin, a two-time World Championship bronze medallist, combined with Sam Reardon, Laviai Nielsen and Alex Haydock-Wilson to cross the line in a time of 3:10.61.

And the 26-year-old, who ran the final leg to lead the team home, said: “They did the job so I just had to go. 

“I couldn’t see anyone on the backstretch, so I was just running for my life. I couldn’t hear anyone as it was so loud!”

All three 100m women came through their first races to progress to Saturday's semi-finals, with Daryl Neita clocking a 10.92 season's best. She will be joined by Dina Asher-Smith and Imani-Lara Lansiquot.

"I’m in great form," said Neita. "To me it’s just about execution at this championships and really believing in myself and just going for it. It’s a stepping stone for tomorrow.”

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