Josh Kerr broke the men's mile world record on July 18, 2026, at the London Diamond League held at London Stadium. He finished the race in 3 minutes 42.66 seconds, shaving nearly half a second off the previous record of 3:43.13 set by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The 28-year-old Kerr, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was paced early by two athletes who dropped out between 600 and 1000 meters, allowing Kerr to accelerate alone and push to the record time [1, 2, 3, 4]. The near sell-out crowd of 60,000 gave him a standing ovation as he crossed the finish line [1, 3, 4, 5].
American Yared Nuguse, the Olympic silver medalist and fourth-fastest miler ever, finished second in 3:45.69, over three seconds behind Kerr [1, 4, 5]. Kerr's previous personal best for the mile was 3:45.34, set in 2024 [1, 5].
Kerr is a multiple global medallist, including the 2023 world 1500m champion. He became the seventh British man to hold the mile world record and the first since Steve Cram in 1985 [1, 2, 4]. Kerr publicly announced his goal to break the record in March 2026 [1, 2, 4].
He followed a precise training regime known as "Project 222," involving exact timing of ice baths and race pace visualizations [2, 4]. Kerr said, "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. I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line" [4]. Reflecting on the final stretch, he added, "It was just me, my shoes and the track. I was absolutely deaf in that last 110 meters. I didn't take my foot off the gas, but ... I started to glide and I was like 'Oh wow, this feels incredible.' It's incredible because I'm slowing down" [5].
Jamaican sprinter Julien Alfred, who competed in the event, called the field "most definitely a tough field" and said it was always "a pleasure and a privilege to compete against them" [3].
