Josh Kerr, the British runner who helped stoke a revival in middle-distance drama on the track, added a new chapter Saturday by running the mile in 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds to break the 27-year-old record for the distance.
At a Diamond League meet in London, Kerr broke Moroccan great Hicham El Guerrouj’s mark of 3 minutes, 43.13 seconds, set in Rome in 1999. The 28-year-old native of Edinburgh celebrated with a lap of honour at London Stadium.
“It was just me, my shoes and the track,” he said. “I was absolutely deaf in that last 110 metres.”
Stuff
Roared on by a sell-out crowd of 60,000 at London Stadium, the five-time global medallist bettered the Moroccan’s mark – untouched since 1999, when Kerr was aged one – by nearly half a second. [...]
Initially assisted by two pacemakers, who were both gone by the 1,000m mark, the Scot was peerless as he pressed on in pursuit of the wavelights on the curb of the track measuring his progress.
Bringing the crowd to their feet, Kerr went through 1500m faster than his British record over that distance and never wavered, with the emotion evident on his face as he raised his arms aloft in celebration.
BBC
