THE First Minister has said runner Josh Kerr, who broke the mile world record, has “made Scotland proud”.
The 28-year-old Scot crossed the Diamond League, London, finish line in three minutes 42.66 seconds, 0.47secs faster than the previous holder, Hicham El Guerrouj, whose mark of 3:43.13 had stood for 27 years.
Kerr, the 2023 world 1500 metres champion, in March announced his intention to wipe out the Moroccan’s time in London, and achieved his aim in front of a 60,000-capacity crowd, saying he knew he was going to make it happen within the first 400m.
On X/Twitter, First Minister John Swinney congratulated the runner, stating: “World record! History made by Scotland’s Josh Kerr.
“A remarkable achievement – you have made Scotland proud, Josh.”
After beating the record, Kerr said: “I feel great right now, lots of adrenaline in the system and I will be out in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games for sure.
“Every season has to have a peak, and I hope to continue this for another couple of weeks and ride that momentum.”
He added: “If I am to leave my mark on this sport I have to do those performances. I put the work in. I am good at circling the day to perform and doing my job.”
