- Josh Kerr was reported to have run 3:42.66 in the mile at the London Diamond League.
- The reported time was 0.47 seconds faster than Hicham El Guerrouj’s 1999 mark.
- Kerr had targeted a sub-223-second mile through his “Project 222” training plan.
Josh Kerr has been reported to have broken the men’s mile world record at the London Diamond League, running 3 minutes 42.66 seconds at London Stadium.
The reported time is 0.47 seconds quicker than the mark set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999. Kerr, 28, had publicly set a target of running the mile in under 223 seconds as part of what he called “Project 222”.
He said the occasion had been overwhelming because of the expectation around the attempt, but that he had trusted the work done with his team. Kerr added that he knew a 3:42 performance was within reach, despite having to fight through the closing stages.
The report said Kerr was assisted by pacemakers Brannon Kidder, his training partner, and Slovenia’s Zan Rudolph. American Yared Nuguse stayed with him until the final 200 metres before Kerr pulled clear.
Kerr is the 2023 world champion over 1,500 metres and a two-time world indoor 3,000-metre winner. The reported result would make him the sixth Briton to hold the mile world record, following a long line of British middle-distance runners including Roger Bannister, Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was reported to have presented Kerr with a $50,000 cheque after the race. Formal recognition of a world record ordinarily depends on official results and the sport’s ratification procedures.
Other reported London results
Keely Hodgkinson won the women’s 800 metres in 1:56.21, while Brandon Miller of the United States won the men’s 800 metres in a personal best of 1:42.19.
Elsewhere, pole vault world-record holder Armand Duplantis withdrew after receiving treatment on his left thigh, and Sam Kendricks won the event. Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the women’s 200 metres in 21.66 seconds, while Norway’s Karsten Warholm recorded 46.61 seconds in the 400-metre hurdles.
