Josh Kerr goes into the 1500m event at the World Athletics Championships as the man to beat.

The Olympic silver medallist is the defending world champion. The Scotsman begins his campaign in Tokyo with the heats on Sunday morning, before the semi-finals on Monday and the final on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m very excited with the prospect of going into another World Championship,” Kerr told Sky Sports News.

“What a privilege. What a privileged position, I’ve worked hard to get to, to be the guy with the crown and looking to defend the title,” he added. “That’s where some minds go to. For me, I may have a target on my back but I’ve got a roadmap in my pocket. That’s the way I view things.

“These championships are hard enough without giving yourself some problems to begin with.”

As hard as it is to win one World championship gold medal in the 1500m, it’s even tougher to win a second.

“Even in the past few years the people that have won it, they hardly come back in the final next time. It’s really hard to just stay healthy,” Kerr said. “It’s hard. There’s a lot of variables in a 1500m race.

“You can come out on top if you just focus on your race plan,” he continued. “These fairytales have a really tough time coming to fruition. But what are you going to do today to make it happen? That’s the way that I look at my career.

“I try and not forward think too much, focus on each day as it comes and I’m stacking up some good ones right now.

“I’ll be in a position to win these World championships from a fitness standpoint. It’s just how’s my execution going to look and that’s the fun part for me.”

Even though both were upset by American Cole Hocker at the Olympics last year, Kerr is expecting to continue his rivalry with Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Japan.

“I’ve heard that he’s going to be at these Championships and I fully expect him to be in world record shape. That’s the way that I approach things. Nothing will shock me,” Kerr said. “Just pure laser focus on the job at hand. There’s not a lot other stuff going on in my life.

“This is my playground but it’s fully focused, fully involved. This is what I do, it doesn’t matter how hard it is, it doesn’t matter what variables get thrown my way, you’re focused on doing your job to the best of your ability. I love that pressure.

“I’m ready to race the best in the world at their best.”