Overview
- Kerr ran a 3:42.66 mile at London Stadium, beating Hicham El Guerrouj’s 1999 mark and doing so before a sell-out crowd of about 60,000 on Saturday.
- The result lowered Kerr’s personal best by nearly three seconds and came from a deliberate campaign called Project 222 that targeted a 3:42 mile.
- Kerr passed 1500m in 3:27.62 during the mile, which set a new British 1500m split record en route to the world mark.
- Hours after the race Kerr signed autographs and posed for photos with fans, accepted a US$50,000 award presented on-site and publicly criticised the unchanged world-record bonus as inadequate.
- Because the attempt used pacemakers, Diamond League sanctioning and sponsor support, it is poised for formal ratification and has sharpened debate about staged record bids, athlete pay and Kerr’s plans to chase more middle-distance records and the Commonwealth Games and Olympic medals.