While it may be back to the drawing board for Ingebrigtsen after a sobering night, Kerr will have so many mixed emotions.
He had trained like a demon and sacrificed so much for a tilt at gold.
He had even taken a trip to the Stade de France at Christmas and talked his way into the grand arena to try and picture the winning moment.
Poised for glory as he hurled himself down the home straight, his legs faded and Hocker snuck up the inside.
Silver will not have the same shine, but when you turn up to the final and run faster than you’ve ever run before, set a British record, break the previous Olympic record and step on to the podium, it is hard to be too downbeat.
“I can’t walk away from a Championship disappointed,” said Kerr, who became the first Scot to claim track medals at more than one Games.
“I said what my goals were, it was pretty obvious, but I put a performance out there today which I was extremely proud of.
“I focused on my controllables, I ran the best and the fastest tactical 1500m I have ever done in my life.”
At 26, Kerr will harvest hopes of going one better in Los Angeles in 2028 and completing his Olympic set.
Bronze in Tokyo, silver in Paris, gold in LA. It has a nice ring to it.
But next on the cards, he says, is a couple of pints, having given up alcohol on his Olympic journey.
“It would be amazing to get gold at LA but I’m secure in myself as a medallist at every championships bar one in the last four years,” Kerr added.
“I’ve been consistent at this level and I will get the medal I want by the end of my career. It didn’t happen today but it was a big step in the right direction.”