UK’s Josh Kerr smashes longstanding world mile record in London

British athlete Josh Kerr broke the 27-year-old world mile record at the London Diamond League with a time of 3:42.66. The achievement follows his 'Project 222' training initiative and cements his status as a top-tier middle-distance runner.
Why it matters
Breaking a long-standing world record in athletics is a major historical milestone in sports, drawing significant global attention.
Kerr ran a 3:42.66 mile at the London Diamond League, smashing Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old world record by 0.47 seconds.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info As part of Project 222 Kerr had targeted a sub-223-second race, and with Saturday's run he became the sixth Briton to hold the mile record. [Glyn Kirk/AFP] By AFP and Reuters Published On 18 Jul 2026 18 Jul 2026 Josh Kerr has shattered the 27-year-old world mile record at the London Diamond League, shaving almost three seconds off his own personal best in the process.
The 28-year-old Briton, roared on by a capacity 60,000 crowd at London Stadium on Saturday, ran a time of three minutes 42.66 seconds to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s longstanding mark by 0.47 seconds.
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