Josh Kerr Smashes the Men’s Mile World Record in London

What Happened?

Great Britain’s runner Josh Kerr did something amazing. He broke a very old world record for the men’s mile race at a big event called the London Diamond League.

Think of the mile like running around a track four times. The fastest person to ever do that in history just got beaten!

The Old Record

• The old record was set by Hicham El Guerrouj from Morocco.
• He set it 27 years ago, back in 1999.
• Fun fact: Josh Kerr was only one year old when that record was made!
• Nobody had beaten it since then — until now.

How Fast Did Kerr Run?

Kerr finished the mile in:

• 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds

That is almost half a second faster than the old record. In running, half a second is a huge deal!

Important Point: Kerr said back in March he wanted to break this record on home soil (in Britain). And he did exactly that!

The Big Day in London

Here is what the day looked like:

1. The race was held at London Stadium.
2. A huge crowd of 60,000 people showed up — every seat was sold!
3. They cheered super loudly for Kerr.
4. Two helpers called pacemakers ran with him at the start to help set a fast speed.
5. By the 800m-to-1000m point, those pacemakers dropped out.
6. Kerr kept going all by himself, following special wavelights on the side of the track that showed if he was on record pace.
7. He passed the 1500m mark even faster than his own British record for that distance.
8. He never slowed down and threw his arms up in happiness at the finish!

Who Else Was Racing?

Kerr was not alone on the start line:

• Yared Nuguse from the USA was there.
• He is the fourth fastest miler in history.
• He was seen as a real threat to Kerr.
• But in the end, Kerr was just too good. It was "only ever going to be Kerr."

Why This Is Special

• Kerr is 28 years old.
• He is the seventh British athlete ever to hold the mile world record.
• He is the first British person to do it since Steve Cram in 1985.
• Before this race, Kerr was already the sixth fastest miler ever, with a personal best of 3:45.34.
• He also has five global medals, including an Olympic silver.

Important Point: Breaking a 27-year-old record in front of your home crowd is one of the biggest things a runner can do!

Summary

Josh Kerr, a 28-year-old from Great Britain, broke the men’s mile world record that had stood for 27 years. He ran it in 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League in front of 60,000 cheering fans. He beat the old record by almost half a second and became the first British miler to hold the record since 1985.

FAQ

What is the mile race?
It is a running race of about 1.6 kilometers — four laps around a standard track.

What are pacemakers?
They are runners who start the race just to help set a fast speed, then drop out before the end.

Who held the record before Kerr?
Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, who set it in 1999.

Was anyone else close to beating Kerr?
American Yared Nuguse was in the race and is very fast, but Kerr won clearly.