WORLD INDOOR CHAMPION JOSH KERR TARGETS MILE RECORD AT NOVUNA LONDON ATHLETICS MEET
Newly crowned World Indoor 3000m Champion, Josh Kerr, has confirmed that he will attempt to break the men’s mile world record at the Novuna London Athletics Meet, part of the Wanda Diamond League series, on Saturday 18 July.
Kerr, who holds the British mile record with a time of 3:45.34 set in May 2024, currently sits sixth on the world all-time list. The longstanding world record of 3:43.13, held by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj since July 1999, is the mark the 28‑year‑old will aim to surpass as he lines up in the prestigious Emsley Carr Mile at the London Stadium.
Josh KERR, 3000 Metres Men, GBR
Cole HOCKER, 3000 Metres Men, USA
Yann SCHRUB, 3000 Metres Men, FRA
Jacob KROP, 3000 Metres Men, KEN, photo by World Athletics
Speaking about his ambitions, dubbed ‘Project 222’, the double Olympic medallist said: “This record deserves to be done at home, this record needs to be brought home, and this is a British record. This is a British distance; it would be doing a disservice to the UK not to be doing it at home.”
He added, “I am really excited. There are no guarantees in this; it is a record that deserves a lot of respect. I believe I am respecting it by coming out and talking about it. I want to do it with the people I have behind me. I have an amazing team.”
The Emsley Carr Mile returns to the Novuna London Athletics Meet for only the third time in the last decade. First staged in 1953, the event was created by Sir William Carr in memory of his father, Sir Emsley Carr, former editor of News of the World.
Touching on the heritage, Kerr said: “The Emsley Carr Mile has an incredible history, and to have the opportunity to compete in that event in London is special.”
The Novuna London Athletics Meet – the world’s biggest one-day athletics event – is the eleventh meeting of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League. The series comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field across four different continents and begins in Doha on 8 May. It concludes with a single final across two days in Brussels (4-5 September).
Buy your tickets now: https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/events-and-tickets/novuna-london-athletics-meet-2026/
ENDS
About the Wanda Diamond League
The Wanda Diamond League is the elite one-day meeting series in athletics. It comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field, delivering world-class competitions for fans and athletes in all four corners of the world.
The series provides a unique opportunity for athletes across the full diversity of track and field to compete regularly at the highest level throughout the outdoor season. In 32 different disciplines, athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final.
With events in 13 different countries across four different continents, the Diamond League is one of the most truly global series in world sport.
In 2025, it welcomed 400,000 spectators to some of the planet’s most iconic arenas and was broadcast on television in 170 different countries. It also reached an online fanbase of 5 million social media followers worldwide, notching up more than 1 billion impressions and over 900 million video views across all platforms.
The 2026 Diamond League season will begin in Doha on May 8 and end at the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5.
Novuna
Novuna is a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, one of the UK’s leading financial services company, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Official Finance Partner for British Athletics and Title Partner of UK Athletics and the Great Britain & Northern Ireland athletics team.
With over 2,300 employees, £8.6bn of net earning assets and over 1.3 million customers we provide innovative finance solutions that helps businesses and individuals find the financial edge that turns ambition into achievement. Our business divisions include Novuna Consumer Finance, Novuna Vehicle Solutions, Novuna Business Finance, Novuna Business Cash Flow and our European division specialising in Vendor Finance.
We are a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., strengthening our relationship with one of the world’s largest and most diversified financial groups, with over 11trn yen (£57bn) of assets.
