Kerr breaks men's mile record at London Diamond League
Josh Kerr clocks 3 minutes 42.66 seconds to become the first Briton since Steve Cram to hold the title
British runner Josh Kerr has broken the men’s mile world record at a Diamond League meeting in London on Saturday. The 28-year-old completed the distance in 3 minutes 42.66 seconds, surpassing the previous mark of 3 minutes 43.13 seconds set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
The performance at the London Stadium saw Kerr set off on a lap of honour in front of a sell-out crowd of 60,000 spectators. The achievement marks a significant milestone for British athletics, as Kerr becomes the seventh British athlete to hold the mile record and the first since Steve Cram in 1985.
Kerr had targeted this specific mile race as a primary goal for a track season that did not include the Olympics or World Championships. His previous personal best was 3 minutes 45.34 seconds, set in 2024. The victory adds to his recent accolades, including a silver medal in the 1,500 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
While the mile is not a championship event in major competitions, it holds iconic status in track history. The four-minute barrier for the mile was first broken by British runner Roger Bannister in 1954, establishing a legacy that Kerr has now extended with his record-breaking run.
The London Diamond League serves as a major annual track and field meeting, attracting significant attention from the global athletics community. Kerr’s performance underscores the continued strength of British distance running on the international stage.
