LONDON, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Josh Kerr shattered the men's mile world record at the London Diamond League on Saturday, clocking three minutes 42.66 seconds to erase Hicham El Guerrouj's 27-year-old mark.
The 28-year-old, who announced in March his intention to break the world record on home soil, delivered on that promise in front of a sell-out crowd of 60,000 at London Stadium.
After following two pacemakers through the early stages, Kerr took charge of the race and crossed the finish line in 3:42.66, improving El Guerrouj's 1999 record by nearly half a second.
Kerr became the seventh British athlete to hold the men's mile world record and the first since Steve Cram in 1985.
"It's very overwhelming with the amount of hype I created," Kerr told BBC Sport after the race. "I am surrounded by amazing people and was able to stay consistent and put the work in."
The British runner said the achievement was an important step toward cementing his legacy in the sport.
"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."
