Scotland's Josh Kerr breaks the 27-year-old mile world record with 3:42.66 at the 2026 London Diamond League
Josh Kerr of Scotland ran 3:42.66 at the Wanda Diamond League in London on July 18 to shatter the men's mile world record that had stood for 27 years; Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino won the women's 400m in 48.97 seconds for her fourth Diamond League victory of the 2026 season
Add to a list
No lists yet.
Summary
Josh Kerr of Scotland ran 3:42.66 at the Wanda Diamond League in London on July 18, breaking the men's mile world record that had stood for 27 years. Kerr had already established himself as one of the world's best middle-distance runners at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino, the reigning Olympic 400m champion, won the women's 400m in 48.97 seconds for her fourth consecutive Diamond League victory of 2026, following wins in Doha, Paris, and Monaco. Norway's Henriette Jaeger finished second in 49.15, a Norwegian national record, and Jamaica's Stacey Ann Williams took third in 49.52. All three were the only runners among eight to break 50 seconds. World pole vault record holder Mondo Duplantis, Julien Alfred, and Oblique Seville also competed at the London meeting.
The split
US athletics media (FloTrack) led with Kerr's world record as the defining moment of the Diamond League season, framing it as a historic rupture in middle-distance history. Dominican and Caribbean outlets treated Paulino's victory as the bigger story, covering her London win in relation to her upcoming role as flag bearer for the Dominican Republic at the Central American and Caribbean Games opening July 24 in Santo Domingo. Canadian coverage (CBC) emphasized the Commonwealth dimension, identifying Kerr as Scottish and contextualizing the record for an audience familiar with him from the Paris 2024 Games.
By the numbers
- 3:42.66, Kerr's winning mile time and new world record
- 27 years, the age of the previous record at time of breaking
- 48.97 seconds, Paulino's winning 400m time
- 4, Paulino's Diamond League wins in 2026 (Doha, Paris, Monaco, London)
- 49.15 seconds, Henriette Jaeger's second-place time and Norwegian national record
- 8, the number of women who competed in the 400m, three of whom broke 50 seconds
Why it matters
A 27-year-old world record breaking is a rare event in professional athletics, marking a generational shift in what is physically possible in the mile. Paulino's fourth consecutive Diamond League win of 2026 cements her as the dominant force in the women's 400m ahead of the Central American and Caribbean Games in her home country, where she will carry the Dominican flag.
What to watch
- Whether Kerr's 3:42.66 will stand through the rest of the 2026 Diamond League season
- Paulino's performance at the Central American and Caribbean Games in the Dominican Republic, opening July 24
- Whether Mondo Duplantis continues his pole vault world record campaign at the next Diamond League stop