British middle-distance runner Josh Kerr made history on Saturday when he ran the fastest mile ever recorded, clocking 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds at the London Diamond League. The performance shattered Hicham El Guerrouj’s long-standing world record of 3:43.13, which had endured since 1999.

The 28-year-old crossed the finish line well ahead of his competition, cementing his place in track and field history. He then took a jubilant victory lap around London Stadium as the crowd erupted in applause.

Video posted by the Diamond League captured the moment Kerr threw his arms into the air while spectators cheered. The organization’s official account shared the clip with the caption, “History made by Josh Kerr!”

According to the official results from World Athletics, Kerr finished more than three seconds in front of American Yared Nuguse, who posted a time of 3:45.69. British runner Jake Heyward placed third with a personal best of 3:46.73.

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The result not only gave Kerr a new personal record by shaving nearly three seconds off his previous best but also ended one of athletics’ most enduring milestones. His time of 3:42.66 stands as a defining moment in modern track competition.

Social media quickly lit up with praise for the Scottish native. Team Scotland congratulated Kerr on X, calling it “an incredible run of 3:42.66” and “a new world record.” The official Olympic Games account also joined in the celebration, sharing, “History made. Great Britain's Josh Kerr roars to a world record in the men's mile, snapping a 27-year record in 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League.”

Kerr had circled this race as a personal mission since earlier in the season, focusing specifically on the London Diamond League mile. According to the Associated Press, his target did not include the Olympics or World Championships this year, allowing him to channel his energy into Saturday’s race.

Speaking afterward to BBC Sport, Kerr explained that the stadium’s energy helped propel him over the final stretch. “It was just me, my shoes and the track,” he said. “I was absolutely deaf in that last 110 meters.”

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He continued, “I didn’t take my foot off the gas. But I started to glide and I was like, ‘Oh wow, this feels incredible.’ It’s incredible because I’m slowing down. So I was like, ‘I better get to the line.’ So crossing the finish line, seeing 42-something, anything, was my goal, so it was great.”

In his interview, Kerr also reflected on the pressure of publicly announcing his intentions long before the event. “It’s very overwhelming with the amount of hype [I created],” he told BBC Sport. “It’s silly to call [the attempt] that early because there’s a lot of things which can go wrong, but I am surrounded by amazing people and was able to stay consistent and put the work in.”

Kerr emphasized that achieving such a performance required extraordinary effort from both himself and his team. “If I am to leave my mark on this sport as a British legend, following in the footsteps of the legends behind me, I have to put in those performances,” he said. “Those performances take every single part of you, every single part of your team. The amount of work behind the scenes is incredible.”

The performance added another milestone to Kerr’s career, which began with standout success at the University of New Mexico. During his collegiate years, he claimed three NCAA titles, eight Mountain West championships, and set a collegiate record in the 1,500 meters, according to the university’s athletics department.

As Kerr stood beside the sign displaying his world-record time on the London track, the achievement underscored years of focus and dedication. For fans and athletes alike, it marked the end of an era and the rise of a new benchmark in one of sport’s most iconic distances.

With his bold prediction fulfilled and the record now rewritten, Kerr closed the night as the fastest miler in history, his 3:42.66 forever engraved in the record books.