Josh Kerr runs men's mile in 3:42.66 at London Diamond League, breaking 1999 world record

Josh Kerr shattered the 27-year-old world record in the men's mile with a time of 3 minutes 42.66 seconds at Saturday's London Diamond League, improving by 0.47 seconds on Hicham El Guerrouj's 1999 mark and winning by more than three seconds. The 28-year-old from Edinburgh competed before a sell-out crowd of 60,000 at London Stadium while wearing a speed suit and spikes designed to improve aerodynamics and propulsion.

Kerr had announced in March that he would target the record on home soil.

His coach confirmed the plan after Kerr recovered from a calf injury that ended his World Championships campaign in Tokyo last September. Kerr titled the preparations Project 222 and completed a 1,200 m time trial of 2:42.45 at altitude in Albuquerque, after which two pacemakers led the field through the first 1,000 m.

Kerr passed the 1,200 m mark in 2 minutes 46.5 seconds and ran each of the final three 100 m segments in 13.7 seconds.

BBC News reported that Kerr is the seventh British athlete to hold the men's mile world record and the first since Steve Cram in 1985. Kerr stated the crowd support in the final 110 meters was just incredible and that he was absolutely deaf in that section.

He said he did not take his foot off the gas but began to glide in the final section and aimed to reach the line in 42-something. Kerr will next compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next month.