Great Britain’s Josh Kerr delivered a stunning performance at the London Diamond League, smashing the long-standing men’s mile world record.
After declaring back in March his ambition to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year record on home soil, Kerr fulfilled that promise in emphatic style, finishing in three minutes 42.66 seconds.
Cheered on by a sell-out crowd of 60,000 at the London Stadium, the five-time global medallist lowered the Moroccan’s mark—untouched since 1999, when Kerr was just one year old—by almost half a second.
The 28-year-old became the seventh British athlete to hold the mile world record, and the first since Steve Cram achieved the feat in 1985.
Kerr arrived in London as the sixth-fastest miler in history, having set a British record of 3:45.34.
He was joined on the start line by American Yared Nuguse, fourth on the all-time list and a serious challenger to the Olympic silver medallist.
Ultimately, however, the race belonged to Kerr alone.
Two pacemakers led the early stages but had dropped out by the 1000m point, leaving the Scot to press on unopposed as he tracked the wavelights marking his target pace along the curb.
Drawing the crowd to its feet, Kerr passed 1500m quicker than his own British record at that distance and held firm to the finish, his emotion clear as he raised his arms in triumph.
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