Josh Kerr delivered a stunning moment at London Stadium on Saturday, breaking the 27-year-old world mile record in front of a roaring home crowd.
The 28-year-old British middle-distance star was carried by the noise of a capacity 60,000 crowd at the London Diamond League as he crossed the line in three minutes 42.68 seconds, taking 0.45 seconds off Hicham El Guerrouj’s long-standing world record.
Kerr had openly set his sights on a 222-second race, and he delivered on that bold target to become only the sixth British athlete in history to hold the mile world record.
El Guerrouj’s benchmark had stood since 1999, when Kerr, now the British record holder, was just one year old.
The 2023 world 1500m champion revealed in March that he intended to attack the Moroccan great’s record on home soil, building his preparation around the challenge — including 222-second recovery ice baths as part of a carefully designed training plan.
‘It’s very overwhelming with the amount of hype [I created].
‘It’s silly to call [the attempt] that early because there’s a lot of things which can go wrong, but I am surrounded by amazing people and was able to stay consistent and put the work in,’ Kerr told BBC Sport.
‘If I am to leave my mark on this sport as a British legend, following in the footsteps of the legends behind me, I have to put in those performances.
Josh Kerr became the world record holder for the fastest one mile on Saturday
Kerr celebrates after he shattered the 27-year-old world mile record in Stratford
Kerr set off at speed in front of 60,000 people at the London Diamond League Meeting today
‘Those performances take every single part of you, every single part of your team.
‘The amount of work behind the scenes is incredible. Today, it was a performance I was able to bring out – I just hoped it would be a little bit faster!’
Kerr, who was presented with a cheque for £38,000 for breaking the record, shaved almost three seconds off his own personal best.
The record had been untouched since 1999 – when Kerr would have been aged one.
But it has now been bettered by almost half a second, making Kerr the sixth-fastest man in history over the mile.
He was joined on the start line today by American Yared Nuguse, fourth on the all-time list and a fierce opponent to the Olympic silver medallist’s challenge.
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Nonetheless, the Scotsman came through victorious. He started off with two pacemakers, who both left by the 1,000-metre mark.
His first 1,500m were faster than his British record for that distance and he did not stop there – continuing to the finish line with an emotional finish.
Kerr had a targeted 222-second race and pulled it off to become the sixth British athlete in history to hold the record for the distance
Kerr victorious after winning the one mile men’s final and setting a new world record
The Scotsman had the crowd on their feet as he pulled off the daring challenge to the world record
He lifted his arms in elation as he crossed the finish line, punching the air as the crowd got to their feet.
Josh Kerr has always made his daring ambitions known, having announced he would be aiming to smash the mile world record in London four months before this historic run.
It’s a strong comeback for the athlete, who saw his gold medal dreams shattered at the World Championships in Tokyo last September when he suffered a calf injury.
His coach, Danny Mackey, confirmed the Brit had set his sights on the mile world record months ago, and the pair had worked relentlessly since to make it happen today.
Kerr even documented the training building up to Saturday’s world-record attempt.
The endeavour was titled ‘Project 222’ – the total number of seconds standing between him and the world record.
The documentary culminated in a 1,200m time trial which predicted he would be in good enough shape to achieve the world record, as Kerr clocked two minutes 42.45 seconds, leaving him with more than one minute to cover the remaining 400m.
Kerr was kitted in specially designed spikes and a ‘bespoke speed suit’ by his sponsors Brooks in London for the world record attempt.
He wore an all-in-one which had laser-cut perforations to improve breathability in the July heat and enhance his aerodynamics.
The spikes were also customised to maximise Kerr’s biomechanics, featuring a carbon plate and aggressive rocker for propulsion, and titanium pins to keep the shoe lightweight.
Kerr clocked an impressive set of 13.7 seconds for each of the final three 100m splits after passing the 1,200m mark at two minutes 46.5 seconds on Saturday.
