Josh Kerr Shatters 27-Year-Old Mile World Record at London Diamond League

Josh Kerr has rewritten history at the London Diamond League, breaking the 27-year-old world mile record by shaving nearly three seconds off his previous personal best.

Competing before a capacity crowd of 60,000 at London Stadium on Saturday, the 28-year-old Briton clocked a remarkable 3:42.66. This performance eclipsed Hicham El Guerrouj’s long-standing record by 0.47 seconds.

Driven by his “Project 222” training regimen, which aimed for a sub-223-second race, Kerr becomes the sixth British athlete to hold the mile world record. El Guerrouj originally set the mark in 1999, when Kerr was only a year old.

Kerr described the atmosphere as “overwhelming” amidst the significant buildup surrounding the event.

“I am surrounded by amazing people and was just able to stay consistent, put the work in, and I knew I had 3:42 in me,” he said.

“I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line.”

The 2023 world 1,500-metre champion had publicly targeted the Moroccan’s record in March, even incorporating 222-second ice-bath recovery sessions into his training schedule.

“I am lucky to be able to string the training together,” said Kerr, who trains at high altitude in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“It felt like I had a kitchen full of incredible chefs, and they are like, ‘What the heck are we going to make?’ and this is the dish I want to make, so let’s go to work and get the world record.”

A two-time world indoor 3,000-metre champion, Kerr was paced by training partners Brannon Kidder and Zan Rudolph of Slovenia.

Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse, the North American record holder and fourth on the all-time mile list, remained close to Kerr until the final 200 metres.

‘Incredible’ last lap

The Scotsman surged during a blistering final lap in front of a raucous crowd at the 2012 Olympic venue.

He crossed the finish line with an ecstatic gesture as the stadium erupted in a deafening ovation for the new record holder.

“The last lap was incredible,” Kerr said. “I was deaf in the last 110 metres!”

Before El Guerrouj’s reign, British milers were a dominant force in the sport.

Roger Bannister was the first to break the four-minute mile barrier in 1954.

This was followed by middle-distance legends Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe, and Steve Cram, who dominated the event throughout the late 1970s and 1990s.

“If I’m to leave my mark on this sport as a British legend, with the legends behind me and following in their footsteps, I have to put in those performances,” Kerr said.

“Those performances take every single part of you, every single part of your team, and the amount of work behind the scenes for me is incredible.

“Today, it was a performance I was able to bring out – I just hoped it would be a little bit faster!”

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe attended the event to present Kerr with a $50,000 cheque and a commemorative book on winning milers.

Duplantis withdraws due to injury

In other results, the UK’s Keely Hodgkinson claimed victory in her first outdoor race of the season, winning the women’s 800-metre in 1:56.21.

In the men’s 800-metre, the US’s Brandon Miller secured a surprise win with a personal best of 1:42.19, ahead of Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who finished fourth.

Wanyonyi, who recently set a new 1,000-metre mark in Monaco, had been targeting David Rudisha’s 800-metre world record set in this same stadium during the 2012 Olympics, but he faded significantly against the 24-year-old Miller.

Armand Duplantis was forced to withdraw from the men’s pole vault competition at the meeting.

The double Olympic champion experienced a setback when failing at 5.85 metres; however, after successfully clearing 5.95 metres, he had strapping applied to his left thigh and opted to withdraw to prepare for the upcoming European Championships.

The US’s Sam Kendricks claimed victory in his absence.

Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the women’s 200-metre in 21.66, following a strong start to edge out American Gabby Thomas by 0.15 seconds.

Kanyinsola Ajayi took second in the men’s 100-metre, equaling her Nigerian national record of 9.84 seconds and defeating world champion Oblique Seville.

World record holder Karsten Warholm dominated the 400-metre hurdles with a seasonal best of 46.61 seconds in the absence of Alison dos Santos.

American specialist Rai Benjamin won the men’s 400-metre flat in a personal best of 44.05, while 20-year-old Ja’kobe Tharp, a recent world record holder, took the 110-metre hurdles in 12.89.

Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers set a new world lead of 2.01 metres to narrowly defeat Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the women’s high jump.

In the women’s discus, the US’s Cierra Jackson delivered a massive personal best of 71.72 metres on her final throw, setting a Diamond League record and defeating double Olympic champion Valarie Sion.

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