Britain’s Kerr to target El Guerrouj’s mile world record

2026-03-29 - 00:21

Josh Kerr is aiming to break one of athletics’ long-standing world records. (EPA Images pic)” LONDON: British athlete Josh Kerr will attempt to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old world record for the mile (1.6km) at the London Diamond League meeting on July 18. The 28-year-old has a personal best of 3 mins 45.34 secs over the mile distance – good enough for a British record and sixth on the all-time list. Moroccan great El Guerrouj’s current mark of 3:43.13 has stood since 1999. A two-time Olympic medallist in the 1,500 metres, Kerr won his third world title by storming to indoor 3,000m gold in Poland last week. “It’s been a huge goal of my career. It’s one of the oldest world records on the track and I think it’s one of the most important ones,” Kerr told the BBC. “It’s something that I feel confident to talk about going after. It’s a really exciting time.” Kerr will take on the challenge shortly before going for gold on home soil at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. “This sport needs moments. I think that setting my goals and being very clear on that is a huge part of giving this record the respect that it deserves,” he added. “To do it in front of a British crowd would just make it extremely special. It’s going to be a tough one but I truly think that I’m capable of going after these times.”