‘I Knew I Had a 3:42 in Me’: Kerr Delivers World Record Mile in London

Josh Kerr delivered one of the most remarkable performances of his career on Saturday, setting a new world record in the men’s mile at the Diamond League meeting in London.

The British star clocked 3:42.66 to break the world record, producing a stunning final lap to complete a historic performance in front of the home crowd.

‘It is very overwhelming. There was a lot of hype. I am surrounded by amazing people, so I have continued to put the work in, so I knew I had a 3:42 in me,’ Kerr said after the race.

The British athlete admitted he nearly lost his rhythm in the closing stages but managed to hold on and cross the finish line in world-record time.

‘I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line,’ he added.

Kerr paid tribute to the team behind his success, saying the record was the result of an enormous amount of work away from the spotlight.

‘Those performances take every part of you, every part of your team. 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,’ he said.

The world champion also used a striking analogy to describe the process behind his historic performance.

‘It felt like I had a kitchen full of incredible chefs, and they are like, what the heck are we going to make, and this is the dish I want to make, so let’s go to work and get the world record,’ Kerr said.

Reflecting on the dramatic final stages of the race, Kerr added: ‘The last lap was incredible. I was deaf in the last 110 metres.’