Great Britain’s Josh Kerr achieved his much-publicised aim of breaking the long-standing world mile record with a stunning 3:42.66* run at the Novuna London Athletics Meet – this season’s 11th Wanda Diamond League meeting – on Saturday (18).
Kerr added his name to the pantheon of world mile record-holders after attacking the mark in the Emsley Carr Mile as part of ‘Project 222’ – the number of seconds he hoped to complete the distance in to improve on the world record set by Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999.
And he did so – the 2023 world 1500m champion becoming the first athlete to break 3:43, improving on El Guerrouj’s 3:43.13 set 27 years ago.
Kerr was paced by his training partner Brannon Kidder and Žan Rudolf, and Kidder hit 400m on world record tempo in 54.75, Kerr a few strides back in 55.3. Kidder led through 800m, which Kerr reached in 1:51.1, before the pacemakers stepped aside and Kerr took over to pass 1200m in 2:46.39, roared on by the 60,000-strong London Stadium crowd. Kerr then hit 1500m in 3:27.62 – faster than his own British record for the distance – and the world record looked within reach.
Months of preparation had led to that point and Kerr dug deep to hit the finish line in 3:42.66, taking 0.47 off the previous world record. Kerr had been tracked by USA’s Yared Nuguse earlier in the race but Nuguse couldn’t stick with the closing pace and finished second in 3:45.69. Great Britain’s Jake Heyward was third in a PB of 3:46.73 and Robert Farken finished fourth in a German record of 3:46.82.
“It is very overwhelming. There was a lot of hype,” said Kerr. “I am surrounded by amazing people, so I have continued to put the work in and I knew I had a 3:42 in me. I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line.
“Out there, I am just the body, but there is an incredible amount of work behind the scenes. Today is a result of all that hard work. The last lap was incredible. I was deaf in the last 110 metres.”
Kerr’s run was among a number of record-breaking performances in London. Cierra Jackson set a Diamond League record with a final throw thriller in the discus, while meeting records were set by Karsten Warholm in the 400m hurdles, Julien Alfred in the 200m and Ja’Kobe Tharp in the 110m hurdles.
Jackson throws 71.72m
USA’s Cierra Jackson improved her PB by almost four metres to win the discus with her final throw of 71.72m – a mark that added 34 centimetres to the Diamond League record set by Sandra Elkasević in Doha in 2018.
Jackson was third heading into the last round of a competition led by world and Olympic champion Valarie Sion with 68.39m from the third round. But Jackson, who won the NCAA title last year, saved her best for last and launched the implement 71.72m to win ahead of Sion and Jorinde van Klinken with 67.99m.
“I was super nervous going into that throw,” said Jackson. “I couldn’t feel my hands, my stomach was hurting. I just took a deep breath and threw and I watched it fly. I was like, ‘oh my god’, and then I saw the mark and I could not breathe.”
Meeting records for Warholm, Alfred and Tharp
Norway’s world record-holder Karsten Warholm stormed to the fastest 400m hurdles in the world this year, improving his own meeting record to 46.61 to clinch a clear victory. Back at the scene of the first of his three world title wins in 2017, Warholm ensured the Diamond League track action started in style as he got his first hurdles race win of the season. Emil Agyekum was second in a German record of 47.45.
Saint Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred was also delighted with her performance on her return to London as she won a 200m clash against USA’s Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas – 21.66 to 21.81 (0.1m/s). It was Alfred’s third win in nine days after her 21.51 at the Diamond League in Monaco that moved her to third on the world 200m all-time list and her 10.87 100m win in Budapest on Tuesday. Shaunae Miller-Uibo was third in London in 22.24.
USA’s world 110m hurdles record-holder Ja’Kobe Tharp dipped under 13 seconds for the fifth time this season, maintaining his magnificent run of form with a meeting record of 12.89 (0.3m/s).
Tharp set his world record of 12.75 during last month’s NCAA Championships semifinals and followed that with 12.90 in the final. He then ran 12.91 when finishing runner-up at the Eugene Diamond League before returning to winning ways with 12.85 in Budapest on Tuesday. His run in London improves a meeting record that was set by former world record-holder Aries Merritt in 2012 and it saw Tharp win clear ahead of Kendry L. Menéndez in a PB of 13.01. Trey Cunningham was third in 13.12.
NCAA champion Kanyinsola Ajayi beat world champion Oblique Seville for the second time this season – 9.84 to 9.87 (-0.7m/s) – as Ajayi matched his time from the Prefontaine Classic to equal his own Nigerian record. Racing in the lane next to Seville, Ajayi looked across at the Jamaican as they crossed the finish line separated by just 0.03. Romell Glave was third in a PB of 9.97, the same time as Emmanuel Eseme in fourth.
USA’s world 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin ran a PB to pip home star Matthew Hudson-Smith in the 400m, Benjamin clocking 44.05 and Hudson-Smith 44.18. Jacory Patterson was third in 44.25. Dominican Republic’s Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino maintained her 400m win streak, charging away from her rivals down the home straight to triumph in 48.97 – her fourth race under 49 seconds this season. Henriette Jæger was runner-up in a Norwegian record of 49.15, while Stacey Ann Williams finished third in 49.52.
Two-lap triumph for Hodgkinson and Miller
London offered Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol their first ever clash over 800m and it ended with a first win of the season for Olympic champion Hodgkinson in front of a home crowd. Taking to the track a short while after Kerr’s world record, Hodgkinson claimed the final win of the day in 1:56.21 as world 400m hurdles champion Broeders-Bol clocked 1:56.46. Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma was third in 1:56.92.
USA’s Brandon Miller ran the race of his life to clinch his 800m win, improving his PB by almost a second to 1:42.19. Miller tracked Kenya’s world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Great Britain’s Max Burgin, who won at the Diamond League in Rabat, as they approached the final bend. Timing his kick to perfection, Miller catapulted himself off the curve and his rivals had no response – he took the win ahead of Ireland’s fast-finishing Mark English who also dipped under 1:43 for the first time with 1:42.97. Burgin was third in 1:43.30 and Wanyonyi – who ran a world 1000m record in Monaco just eight days earlier – finished fourth in 1:43.31.
Australia’s Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull also used a fierce kick to take victory in the 3000m. Content to sit back in the early stages, she made her way up the field and surged hard with 200 metres remaining. Rose Davies gave chase but couldn’t catch her compatriot – Hull winning in 8:24.69 ahead of Davies in a PB of 8:25.38. The next three also set PBs – Sarah Healy in 8:25.63, Hannah Nuttall in 8:26.48 and Fantaye Belayneh in 8:26.98.
Australia’s world champion Nicola Olyslagers and Ukraine’s world record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh were evenly matched in the high jump as they both cleared an outdoor world-leading height of 2.01m, Olyslagers clinching the win on countback. Germany’s multiple global champion Malaika Mihambo soared 7.05m to win the long jump ahead of Claire Bryant with a leap of 6.94m.
USA’s two-time world champion Sam Kendricks won a pole vault contest that ended in disappointment for world record-holder Mondo Duplantis.
Kendricks, Duplantis, Kurtis Marschall and Emmanouil Karalis all cleared 5.95m, Kendricks getting the win on countback thanks to his first-time clearances up to and including that height. But after failing once at 5.85m and passing straight to 5.95m, which he cleared first time, Duplantis had his left thigh strapped and then decided to retire from the competition.
“It wasn’t my best day,” said Duplantis. “I need to go back, reassess and maybe get a scan. I am sorry to the fans for not putting a good performance together.”
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
