Josh Kerr Breaks Long-Standing Mile World Record at London Diamond League
Great Britain’s Josh Kerr produced a sensational performance to break the men’s mile world record at the London Diamond League, ending a 27-year reign held by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj.
Kerr, who announced in March that he intended to break the record on home soil, delivered on his promise by winning the race in an astonishing 3:42.66. His time eclipsed El Guerrouj’s previous world record, set in 1999, by nearly half a second.
The 28-year-old Scot achieved the feat in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000 at London Stadium, becoming the seventh British athlete to hold the men’s mile world record and the first since Steve Cram in 1985.
Before the race, Kerr was already the sixth-fastest miler in history with a British record of 3:45.34. He faced strong competition from American Yared Nuguse, the fourth-fastest man ever over the distance, but Kerr proved untouchable.
Guided by two pacemakers for the opening stages, Kerr took control after they stepped aside at the 1,000m mark. Chasing the pace lights around the track, he maintained a relentless rhythm, passing 1,500m faster than his own British record before powering to a historic finish.
As he crossed the line, Kerr celebrated with his arms raised, clearly overwhelmed by the magnitude of his achievement.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the race, Kerr admitted the moment was emotional.
“It’s very overwhelming with the amount of hype I created. There were so many things that could have gone wrong, but I have an amazing team around me and we stayed consistent.”
He added that delivering performances like this is essential if he wants to cement his place among Britain’s greatest athletes.
“If I want to leave my mark on the sport as a British legend, I have to produce performances like this. The amount of work behind the scenes is incredible. Today I was able to bring it all together—I just hoped it would be a little bit faster.”
Kerr’s remarkable run not only secured a new world record but also marked one of the greatest achievements in British athletics history.
