Josh Kerr breaks 27-year-old men's 1-mile world record

British runner Josh Kerr has smashed the men's 1-mile world record, achieving a remarkable time of 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds. The 29-year-old athlete's performance at the World Athletics Diamond League meet in London broke the previous record held for 27 years.

Kerr surpassed the longstanding mark of 3:43.13 set by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999. This new record is also a significant improvement on Kerr's personal best of 3:45.34, which he set in 2024. Kerr has been pursuing a sub-222-second mile, a goal he calls 'Project 222'.

"All you see is my body, but behind me there is immense unseen effort. Today is the result of that effort," Kerr stated after his record-breaking run. The athlete acknowledged the extensive training and dedication behind his achievement.

While the 1-mile race is not an Olympic or World Championship event, Kerr is a formidable competitor in the 1500 meters, which is a standard distance in major competitions. He secured a gold medal in the 1500m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, demonstrating his prowess across middle-distance events.

“

All you see is my body, but behind me there is immense unseen effort. Today is the result of that effort.