Who is Josh Kerr? Man who breaks ‘unbreakable' mile record in front of 60,000

British middle-distance runner Josh Kerr delivered one of the greatest performances in athletics history on Saturday, July 18, obliterating Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old men’s mile world record at the London Diamond League.

The 28-year-old Scotsman managed to produce an outstanding time of 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds at the bustling London Stadium. This knocked 0.47 seconds off the record time of 3:43.13 set by the legendary Moroccan athlete and held since 1999, Kerr's birth year.

In the presence of 60,000 spectators, Kerr took control of the race after his pacemakers stepped away around the 1,000-meter mark. The British star crossed the finish line more than three seconds clear of Nuguse, who finished in 3:45.69.

He’s a former world champion in the 1500m and a double Olympic medalist, including silver in Paris 2024 and bronze in Tokyo 2020.

The preparations were made by Kerr for months through what was named “Project 222”, where Kerr would jot down his goal time in his notebook each day and time his ice baths for 3 minutes and 42 seconds as part of his psychological preparations. This record makes him a member of the elite group of British athletes like Roger Bannister, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram who held the world mile record before him.

This makes him the seventh British athlete to hold the men’s mile world record. He joins legends including Roger Bannister, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram.