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Josh Kerr has smashed the world record for the 27th distance at the London Diamond League, shaving nearly three seconds off his previous record.
The 28-year-old Briton, roared on by 60,000 people at the London Stadium on Saturday, clocked three minutes 42.66 seconds to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s long-standing record by 0.47 seconds.
As part of his “Project 222”, Kerr set his sights on a sub-223-second race, and with Saturday’s speed he became the sixth Briton to hold the kilometer record. El Guerrouj set his world record in 1999 when Kerr was just one year old.
Kerr said the race was “very intense. There was chaos.”
“I’ve been surrounded by amazing people and I was able to be consistent, put in the work, and I knew I had 3:42 in me,” he said.
“I almost lost it there, but I crossed the line.”
The 2023 world champion of 1,500 meters said in March that he will target Morocco’s record, creating an ice wave of 222 seconds in his training.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to put these courses together,” said Kerr, who lives in his lofty home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“It was like I had a kitchen full of amazing chefs, and they were like, ‘What are we going to make?’ and this is the dish I want to make, so let’s go to work to have a world record.
A two-time 3,000-meter world champion, Kerr was inspired by teammate Brannon Kidder and Slovenian Zan Rudolph.
Olympic bronze medalist Yared Nuguse, who holds the North American record and is fourth on the all-time mile list, clung to Kerr until the end of the 200 meters (656 feet).
‘Incredible’ in the finale
The Scotsman donned firecrackers in front of a crowd of 60,000 at a stadium built for the 2012 London Olympics.
He leaped over the line, punching the air in glee, the cheering crowd following in his footsteps in deafening cheers for their new hero.
“The finish line was amazing,” Kerr said. “I was deaf at 110 meters (360 feet)!”
Before El Guerrouj established himself as the world record holder, British milers were a group on the road.
Roger Bannister was the first person to run under four minutes in 1954.
Then came midfield legends Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram, who dominated the event from 1979-93.
“If I’m going to leave my mark on the game as a British legend, with the legends behind me and follow in their footsteps, I’ve got to be in those shows,” Kerr said.
“These shows take every part of you, every part of your team, and the amount of work that has been done for me is amazing.
“Today, it was an event I was able to pull off – I just hoped it would be a little faster!”
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe was on hand to present Kerr with a $50,000 check and a book of milers.
Duplantis is out with an injury
United Kingdom’s Keely Hodgkinson won her first outdoor race of the season, taking the women’s 800-meter in 1:56.21.
Brandon Miller of the United States took a surprise victory in the men’s 800-meter race in a personal best of 1:42.19, with Kenyan Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi coming in fourth.
The Kenyan was eyeing David Rudisha’s 800 meters world record set in the same venue at the 2012 Olympics after setting a new 1,000 meters mark in Monaco last week, but he faded badly and was well beaten by 24-year-old Miller.
Armand Duplantis was forced to withdraw from the men’s competition at the London Diamond League event on Saturday.
Duplantis, a two-time Olympic champion, failed first at 5.85 meters but, after clearing 5.95 meters, he strapped his left thigh. He then decided to withdraw from the European Championship next month.
Sam Kendricks of the US became the first absentee.
Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred produced a superb performance to win the women’s 200-metres in 21.66, edging out American Gabby Thomas – who denied her a double at the Paris Olympics – by 0.15 seconds.
Kanyinsola Ajayi beat world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica to second in the men’s 100m, equaling his Nigerian record of 9.84 seconds.
World record holder Karsten Warholm ran the fastest 400 meters hurdles this year – 46.61 – to dominate the field without Alison dos Santos.
American Rai Benjamin, a 400-meter sprinter, won the 400-meter steeplechase in 44.05, Ja’kobe Tharp, 20, who set a world record last month, won the 110 meters in 12.89.
Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers set a new world record of 2.01 meters to shadow Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the women’s high jump.
There were upsets in the women’s discus, with the US’s Cierra Jackson clearing a personal best of nearly four meters (13 metres) with her final throw to set a Diamond League record of 71.72 meters and finish ahead of Olympic champion Valarie Sion.
