07/18/26 02:47:00
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07/18 14:45 CDT Josh Kerr of Britain breaks the men's mile world record that
stood since 1999
Josh Kerr of Britain breaks the men's mile world record that stood since 1999
LONDON (AP) --- Josh Kerr, the British runner who helped stoke a revival in
middle-distance drama on the track, added a new chapter Saturday by running the
mile in 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds to break the 27-year-old world record for the
distance.
At a Diamond League meet in London, Kerr broke Moroccan great Hicham El
Guerrouj's mark of 3 minutes, 43.13 seconds, set in Rome in 1999. The
28-year-old native of Edinburgh celebrated with a lap of honor at London
Stadium.
"It was just me, my shoes and the track," he said. "I was absolutely deaf in
that last 110 meters."
Kerr finished more than three seconds clear of American Yared Nuguse's
second-place time of 3:45.69.
In an interview with the BBC, Kerr said the crowd support as he closed in on
the record was "just incredible."
"I didn't take my foot off the gas," he continued, "but ... I started to glide
and I was like ?oh wow this feels incredible.' It's incredible because I'm
slowing down. So, I was like ?I better get to the line.' So, crossing the
finish line, seeing 42-something --- anything --- was my goal, so it was great."
The 28-year-old Kerr's previous best time was 3:45.34 in 2024.
Kerr, the 2023 world champion, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the 2021 Olympic
champion, put a charge in the slightly shorter but more widely contested
1,500-meter race in the leadup to the Paris Olympics. They went back and forth
online and on the track over a number of issues, including Kerr's suggestion
that his rival could only run his top times with the help of pacesetters, the
likes of which aren't allowed at major championships.
When the Paris Games rolled around, Ingebrigtsen faded to fourth while American
Cole Hocker pulled a huge upset, with Kerr finishing second.
Last year at world championships, Ingebrigtsen faltered in a preliminary heat
while Kerr pulled up lame and limped into the finish in a final won by Issac
Nader of Portugal.
This year, with no worlds or Olympics on the schedule, Kerr made the mile his
key target. It's a distance that isn't run as much in big events but that still
has major historical significance, most of it surrounding Roger Bannister's
breaking of the once-intimidating four-minute barrier in 1954.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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