History in London! Josh Kerr Runs the Fastest Mile Ever
Quick Summary
British runner Josh Kerr just made history. On Saturday, July 18, he ran one mile faster than any human ever has. He did it in front of 60,000 roaring fans in London.
What Happened?
At the London Diamond League athletics meet, Josh Kerr crossed the finish line in 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds. That broke a record that had stood for 27 years.
The old record — 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds — was set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj way back in 1999. That’s before most of today’s fourth-graders were even born!
Kerr is a 28-year-old Scot who had been planning this moment for months. He even gave his mission a name: Project 222. Why 222? Because 222 seconds equals exactly 3 minutes and 42 seconds — the time he dreamed of running.
In the race, two pacemakers helped Kerr stay on world-record speed for the first half. Then they stepped aside. Kerr was on his own. The crowd got louder and louder as he sprinted for the finish. He became the first person in history to run a mile faster than 3 minutes and 43 seconds.
American Yared Nuguse finished second with a very fast time of 3:45.69. But on this day, no one could catch Kerr.
It was a record-breaking day all around at London Stadium. Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia won the women’s 200 meters. Karsten Warholm of Norway blazed through the 400-meter hurdles. And British star Keely Hodgkinson won the women’s 800 meters just minutes after Kerr’s run.
Why Does It Matter?
A mile is four laps around a running track — about the distance from one end of a small town to the other. Kerr ran all of that in less time than it takes most kids to brush their teeth twice.
Kerr also brought the mile world record back to Great Britain. Famous British runners like Roger Bannister, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, and Steve Cram held it in the 1950s through 1980s. Bannister was the first person ever to run a mile under four minutes, back in 1954.
Now Kerr joins those legends — and goes one better with the fastest mile in history.
Big Words
- World record — the best performance ever recorded for a particular event, anywhere in the world.
- Diamond League — a top series of international athletics competitions held in cities around the world each year.
- Pacemaker — a runner whose job is to set a fast, steady speed at the start of a race to help others chase a time goal.
- Mile — a distance of 1,609 meters, or about four full laps around a standard running track.
Fun Fact
The first person to ever run a mile in under four minutes was Roger Bannister of Great Britain in 1954. Many scientists at the time thought it was physically impossible for a human to do it. Kerr is now about 17 seconds faster than that once-impossible barrier!
Think About It
Josh Kerr called his goal “Project 222” and announced it to the world months before the race. Do you think telling everyone your goal makes it easier or harder to achieve it? Why?
Sources
- World Athletics — Kerr breaks world mile record with 3:42.66 in London
- NBC Sports — Josh Kerr breaks mile world record
- NPR — Josh Kerr of Britain breaks 27-year-old world record in the mile
- Olympics.com — Josh Kerr roars to world record in mile