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Having put himself out there in the manner that he did, Josh Kerr left nowhere else to go. He had to deliver on Saturday. You call your shot, you take it. So he did. And boy, was it spectacular.
For the first time in 27 years there is a new one-mile world record-holder. On the morning of this London Diamond League meet, Sebastian Coe – a three-time mile world record-holder himself – described Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj, the incumbent, as the greatest miler in history. If that fact remains undisputed, the record books will now show Kerr’s name above El Guerrouj as the man who ran one mile in 3min 42.66sec. Just as he said he would.
The 28-year-old has never gone about things the conventional way. He rarely races on the global circuit, with Diamond League victories holding little allure unless they serve a grander goal. So it was in March, before the outdoor season had begun, that he boldly announced his world record bid here in London, duly gearing his entire year around this one race.
His attempts to manifest the record into existence saw him write the words: “I ran 3.42 at the London Diamond League. July 18th, 2026,” in his notebook every day. Even his ice baths were timed to last precisely three minutes and 42 seconds.
A few years back, after winning the first of two Olympic 1500m medals, he explained why he was content to shun commercial deals and disappear back to his monastic existence at altitude in Albuquerque, bluntly stating: “I’m not here to get famous, I’m here to race.” Fame might be a bit more difficult to avoid now.
“It’s silly to call it that early because there’s a lot of things which can go wrong,” he said. “But I am surrounded by amazing people and was just able to stay consistent, put the work in, and I knew I had 3:42 in me.
“If I’m to leave my mark on this sport as a British legend, with the legends behind me and following in their footsteps, I have to put in those performances.”
The race went almost perfectly to plan, with Kerr paying tribute to his Brooks sponsor that had created custom spikes and an aerodynamic race kit for the occasion, and the two pacemakers that included his training partner, Brannon Kidder, who had effectively sacrificed his season to be a world record-making rabbit.
When the pacing pair dropped out after around one kilometre, Kerr appeared to be either just about on or ever so slightly behind the required pace. Then he was unleashed.
With the American Olympic medallist Yared Nuguse attempting to stick to his heel, Kerr tore his way home, quickening as he went. All eyes were on El Guerrouj’s mark of 3:43.13 as the capacity 60,000 London Stadium crowd roared him down the home straight. Nuguse finished more than three seconds behind, with Kerr’s 1500m split of 3:27.62 improving his own British record for the distance.
Kerr is the seventh British man to hold the one-mile world record, following such greats as Roger Bannister, Lord Coe and Steve Ovett.
“Absolutely incredible,” was the verdict of Coe, the World Athletics president. “Foot perfect. To go into there with that kind of mental resilience, not off that many races this year. He executed it brilliantly.
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“This will have blown the wall away. He will go on to do incredible things. It’s just nice to see it back in the hands of a Brit. We’ve had a few, but he’s as good as they get.”
There had originally been hopes of a British world record double, but those faded in recent weeks as Keely Hodgkinson battled a tight hamstring and a freak fall that caused deep cuts to both knees.
The Olympic 800m champion managed to win her race nonetheless, seeing off Femke Breoders-Bol’s challenge in, for an athlete of her abundant capabilities, a not particularly notable 1min 56.21sec.
“There are mixed emotions today,” she said. “I am going to take the positives because it has been a tough couple of weeks. Not everything always goes to plan, but I am proud with how I have dealt with it.
“Life is sometimes tough, and it doesn’t always go the way you want it to. I dream big, but I am living in the present.”
Kerr’s American training partner Brandon Miller was a shock winner of the men’s 800m, while Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the 200m and Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi the 100m. A month out from the European Championships in Birmingham, Sweden’s pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis withdrew mid-competition after suffering a thigh injury.
