Great Britain\u2019s 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 \u2013 this season\u2019s 11th Wanda Diamond League meeting last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerr added his name to the pantheon of world record-holders after attacking the mark in the Emsley Carr Mile as part of \u2018Project 222\u2019 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he did so \u2013 the 2023 world 1500m champion, two-time Olympic medallist and two-time world indoor champion becoming the first athlete to break 3:43, improving on El Guerrouj\u2019s 3:43.13 set 27 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerr was paced by his training partner Brannon Kidder and \u017dan 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 \u2013 faster than his own British record for the distance \u2013 and the world record looked within reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 El Guerrouj\u2019s record. The 28-year-old had been tracked by USA\u2019s Yared Nuguse earlier in the race but Nuguse couldn\u2019t stick with the closing pace and finished second in 3:45.69. Great Britain\u2019s Jake Heyward was third in a PB of 3:46.73 and Robert Farken finished fourth in a German record of 3:46.82.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is very overwhelming. There was a lot of hype,\u201d said Kerr. \u201cI 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerr\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s Cierra Jackson improved her PB by almost four metres to win the discus with her final throw of 71.72m \u2013 a mark that added 34 centimetres to the Diamond League record set by Sandra Elkasevi\u0107 in Doha in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackson was in third place 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Norway\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saint Lucia\u2019s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred was also delighted with her performance on her return to London as she won a 200m clash against USA\u2019s Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas \u2013 21.66 to 21.81 (0.1m\/s). It was Alfred\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s 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). The 20-year-old is the first athlete in history to go sub-13 seconds in five consecutive 110m hurdles races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tharp set his world record of 12.75 during last month\u2019s 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. Men\u00e9ndez in a PB of 13.01. Trey Cunningham was third in 13.12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NCAA champion Kanyinsola Ajayi beat world champion Oblique Seville for the second time this season \u2013 9.84 to 9.87 (-0.7m\/s) \u2013 as Ajayi matched his time from the Prefontaine Classic to equal his own Nigerian 100m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s 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\u2019s Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino maintained her 400m win streak, charging away from her rivals down the home straight to triumph in 48.97 \u2013 her fourth race under 49 seconds this season. Henriette J\u00e6ger was runner-up in a Norwegian record of 49.15, while Stacey Ann Williams finished third in 49.52.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s 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\u2019s world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Great Britain\u2019s 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 \u2013 he took the win ahead of Ireland\u2019s 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 \u2013 who ran a world 1000m record in Monaco just eight days earlier \u2013 finished fourth in 1:43.31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australia\u2019s 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\u2019t catch her compatriot \u2013 Hull winning in 8:24.69 ahead of Davies in a PB of 8:25.38. The next three also set PBs \u2013 Sarah Healy in 8:25.63, Hannah Nuttall in 8:26.48 and Fantaye Belayneh in 8:26.98.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australia\u2019s world champion Nicola Olyslagers and Ukraine\u2019s 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\u2019s multiple global champion Malaika Mihambo kept her cool after four fouls in the long jump, soaring 7.05m in the fifth round to win ahead of Claire Bryant with a leap of 6.94m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s two-time world champion Sam Kendricks won a pole vault contest that ended in disappointment for world record-holder Mondo Duplantis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt wasn’t my best day,\u201d said Duplantis. \u201cI need to go back, reassess and maybe get a scan. I am sorry to the fans for not putting a good performance together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Great Britain\u2019s Josh Kerr achieved his much-publicised aim of breaking the long-standing world mile record with a stunning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-14992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-athletics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t