Josh Kerr just became the fastest person ever to run 1 mile, breaking the world record at the Diamond League meet!
Josh Kerr just made history by setting a new world record for the mile at the latest Diamond League event.
The 28-year-old, who won silver in the 1500 metres at the 2024 Olympics, ran an amazing 3:42.66 at London Stadium, beating the old record by nearly three seconds.
He pulled ahead in the final lap and finished well ahead of his main competitors, USA’s Yared Nuguse and his teammate Jake Heyward from Team GB.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Kerr celebrated with a fist pump and cheered in front of a packed crowd of 60,000 fans.
Watching nearby was 2012 Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill.
You can see the exciting finish of Kerr’s record run below.
Along with the mile record, Kerr also set a new personal best in the 1500 metres, timing 3:27.65—just beating his previous British record of 3:27.79 from the 2024 Olympics. (For context, a mile is exactly 1609.34 metres.)
Kerr had announced his goal to break the record back in March and now gets to call himself the fastest man in the world over this distance.
He called his plan ‘Project 222’—aiming to run the mile in 3 minutes and 42 seconds flat—and shared his training journey beforehand.
After the race, he told BBC Sport, “It’s a bit overwhelming with all the excitement. It was early to call it a record attempt because many things can go wrong, but I’m lucky to have an amazing team and stayed focused.”
“If I want to be remembered as a British legend in this sport, I have to deliver performances like this. It takes every bit of effort from me and my team.”
“There’s so much hard work behind the scenes. Today, I was able to give my best—I just wished I’d been a little quicker!”
Only three other British runners hold world records on the track: Keely Hodgkinson, Dina Asher-Smith, and Amber Anning.
Hodgkinson, who won the 800 metres in London on Saturday, already owns the world record for that distance. Asher-Smith and Anning’s records come from relay races.
Hodgkinson, the reigning Olympic 800m champion, didn’t beat her record this time after a rough start to the outdoor season.
Still, she finished ahead of Dutch star Femke Bol, who’s now trying longer races after focusing on 400m previously.
Hodgkinson said she had “mixed emotions” about the race but added, “I’ll focus on the positives—it’s been a tough couple of weeks, and not everything goes as planned.”
“The main reason I raced today was to compete in front of a home crowd. Now I can look ahead to the Europeans and build from here.”