Scotland’s Josh Kerr took half-a-second off Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record in front of a packed London Diamond League crowd, setting up the mile as one of the highlights of the Commonwealth Games next month.
Kerr followed two pacemakers and the wave lights in the highly anticipated Project 222, named after the number of seconds in a 3 minute, 42 second performance. In an inspired run the 28-year-old stopped the clock at 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds, improving the world record last set in 1999 from 3:43.16.
“It is very overwhelming. There was a lot of hype. I am surrounded by amazing people, so I have continued to put the work in, so I knew I had a 3:42 in me,” he said.
“I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line.”
Kerr’s pacing was perfect. The 400m splits at the starting line were 55.3, 55.8, 55.4 and 54.9. He becomes the seventh British athlete to hold the mile world record.
| Mark | Name | Nation | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:42.66 | Josh KERR | GBR | London | 2026 |
| 3:43.13 | Hicham EL GUERROUJ | MAR | Rome | 1999 |
| 3:44.39 | Noureddine MORCELI | ALG | Rieti | 1993 |
| 3:46.32 | Steve CRAM | GBR | Oslo | 1985 |
| 3:47.33 | Sebastian COE | GBR | Brussels | 1981 |
| 3:48.40 | Steve OVETT | GBR | Koblenz | 1981 |
| 3:48.53 | Sebastian COE | GBR | Zürich | 1981 |
| 3:48.8h | Steve OVETT | GBR | Oslo | 1980 |
| 3:48.95 | Sebastian COE | GBR | Oslo | 1979 |
| 3:49.4h | John WALKER | NZL | Göteborg | 1975 |
| 3:51.0h | Filbert BAYI | TAN | Kingston | 1975 |
| 3:51.1h | Jim RYUN | USA | Bakersfield | 1967 |
| 3:51.3h | Jim RYUN | USA | Berkeley | 1966 |
| 3:53.6h | Michel JAZY | FRA | Rennes | 1965 |
| 3:54.04 | Peter SNELL | NZL | Auckland | 1964 |
| 3:54.4h | Peter SNELL | NZL | Whanganui | 1962 |
| 3:54.5h | Herb ELLIOTT | AUS | Dublin | 1958 |
| 3:57.2h | Derek IBBOTSON | GBR | London | 1957 |
| 3:57.9h | John LANDY | AUS | Turku | 1954 |
| 3:59.4h | Roger BANNISTER | GBR | Oxford | 1954 |
| 4:01.4h | Gunder HÄGG | SWE | Malmö | 1945 |
| 4:01.6h | Arne ANDERSSON | SWE | Malmö | 1944 |
| 4:02.6h | Arne ANDERSSON | SWE | Göteborg | 1943 |
| 4:04.6h | Gunder HÄGG | SWE | Stockholm | 1942 |
| 4:06.2h | Arne ANDERSSON | SWE | Stockholm | 1942 |
| 4:06.2h | Gunder HÄGG | SWE | Göteborg | 1942 |
| 4:06.4h | Sydney WOODERSON | GBR | Motspur Park | 1937 |
| 4:06.8h | Glenn CUNNINGHAM | USA | Princeton | 1934 |
| 4:07.6h | Jack LOVELOCK | NZL | Princeton | 1933 |
| 4:09.2h | Jules LADOUMÈGUE | FRA | Paris | 1931 |
| 4:10.4h | Paavo NURMI | FIN | Stockholm | 1923 |
| 4:12.6h | Norman TABER | USA | Cambridge | 1915 |
| 4:14.4h | John Paul JONES | USA | Cambridge | 1913 |
“If I am to leave my mark on the sport, as a British athlete with the legends I have behind me, to follow in those footsteps, I have to deliver those performances.
“Those performances take every part of you, every part of your team. Out there, I am just the body, but there is an incredible amount of work behind the scenes. Today is a result of all that hard work. I am lucky to be able to string the training together.”
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 lets go to work and get the world record. The last lap was incredible. I was deaf in the last 110 metres.
Josh Kerr
Kerr’s 1500m split – 3:27.62 – was also a personal best and UK record.
Leading into the meet 20-year-old Cameron Myers had the top mark in the world this year over both 1500m (3:28.00) and the mile (3:46.04). He’ll now have it all ahead of him, but with none of the pressure of favouritism, when Kerr steps out in front of a home crowd in Glasgow. The mile final is on the closing day of competition on 1 August.
“I feel great right now, lots of adrenaline in the system and I will be out in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games, for sure,” Kerr said.
“Every season has to have a peak, and I hope to continue this for another couple of weeks and ride that momentum.”
The mile in Glasgow – marketed as The Commonwealth Mile – draws a connection with the historic 1954 Miracle Mile behind England’s Roger Bannister and Australia’s John Landy. The pair were the first two men to break four minutes for the mile and had a classic duel at the Vancouver Games, with Bannister coming out on top over world record holder Landy. Might the same pattern repeat in Glasgow?
