The Emsley Carr Mile will return to the London Diamond League for only the third time in the last decade.
Josh Kerr will be one of the main headliners in the Emsley Carr Mile, which takes place at the London Diamond League (July 18) for the first time in two years.
The 28-year-old is the British mile record-holder with 3:45.34 – which puts him sixth on the global all-time list – and also holds the national mark indoors (3:48.87) as well.
This past weekend Kerr secured his second world indoor 3000m title with a dramatic victory over Cole Hocker in Toruń, Poland.
After moving up gradually in the race, Kerr timed his run to perfection on the final lap and clocked 7:35.56, with the fast-finishing Hocker second in 7:35.70.
Kerr celebrated his victory by replicating Hocker’s ‘night night’ celebration from last month’s Millrose Games, where the American edged out the Brit over two miles in New York City.
It will be intriguing to see which other athletes compete in the Emsley Carr Mile at the London Diamond League, with the prestigious race making only its third appearance at the Olympic Stadium in the last decade.
The last time it was held in Stratford, Australia’s Olli Hoare triumphed with 3:49.03 in the metric mile. Although five Brits have won the Emsley Carr Mile in the past nine years, none of them have done it at the Olympic Stadium.
“The Emsley Carr Mile has an incredible history and to have the opportunity to compete in that event in London is special,” said Kerr, who is planning to do some build-up races in the US as part of his preparation.
“I have some big goals this summer – it’s no secret that I want to compete for Scotland in the mile at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow too – and this fits my schedule perfectly. It’s a Diamond League race so I know it’ll be a strong field, but I’m not concerned about who will or won’t be there. I can only control my own performance so I want to go out there and run fast. I want to make it memorable.”
The Emsley Carr Mile was inaugurated in 1953 by Sir William Carr in memory of his father Sir Emsley Carr, a former editor of the News of the World.
The fastest time recorded for the Emsley Carr Mile – and the quickest mile ever recorded on British soil – is 3:45.96 by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj at Crystal Palace in 2000. Last year’s winner was Henry McLuckie, who ran 3:53.99 at the University of Stirling.