Kerr breaks 27-year-old world mile record in London; Duplantis defeated

Josh Kerr delivered a sensational performance at the London Diamond League meeting on Saturday, breaking the world record for the one-mile race.

The 28-year-old Briton, who is the reigning Olympic silver medalist and 2023 world champion at 1500 meters, completed the 1,609-meter distance in 3:42.66. This time surpasses the previous world best set nearly 27 years ago by Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj, who ran 3:43.13 in Rome in 1999. Kerr's achievement fulfills an announcement he made on March 28th and earns him a $50,000 bonus for breaking the non-Olympic distance record.

While Kerr celebrated a world record, the pole vault competition saw a surprising outcome. Swedish star Armand Duplantis, a two-time Olympic champion, experienced his second defeat of the season. He finished second to American Sam Kendricks, with both vaulters clearing 5.95 meters. Duplantis opted not to take his final attempt due to thigh problems.

The meeting also featured victories from other notable athletes, including Kayinsola Ajayi of Nigeria in the men's 100m (9.84 seconds), Rai Benjamin of the USA in the men's 400m (44.05 seconds), Ja’Kobe Tharp of the USA in the men's 110m hurdles (12.89 seconds), and Karsten Warholm of Norway in the men's 400m hurdles (46.61 seconds). On the women's side, Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia won the 200m (21.66 seconds), and Malaika Mihambo of Germany took first place in the long jump (7.05 meters).