Great Britain’s defending champion Josh Kerr said his rivals must be prepared for a “real battle” if they are to take his world 1500m crown, on a night when Olympic gold medallist Cole Hocker was disqualified from the competition.

Kerr, who had to settle for silver behind Hocker last summer, is the only athlete from the top five at the Paris Games through to the final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The 27-year-old Scot led for the majority of his semi-final but, falling across the line after being tripped from behind, he finished behind Dutch contender Niels Laros.

British team-mate Jake Wightman, the 2022 world champion, and Neil Gourley both also progressed to the final.

But American Hocker was later disqualified for “jostling” after being deemed to have gained an unfair advantage in forcing his way past Germany’s Robert Farken, who was reinstated after finishing 10th following the incident on the home straight.