Andy Murray winning Wimbledon. Celtic winning the European Cup. Scotland winning the Grand Slam. And Sir Chris Hoy winning six Olympic gold medals.
These are some of Scotland’s greatest-ever sporting moments.
If Josh Kerr can achieve what he’s setting out to do next weekend, his name will be added to this illustrious list.
On Saturday, Kerr will attempt to break the world mile record.
Set in Rome in 1999 by one of the all-time legends of middle-distance running, Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, it’s one of the longest-standing track and field world records.
So impressive is El Guerrouj’s time of 3 minutes 43.13 seconds, and second place in the same race, Noah Ngeny clocked the second fastest-ever time of 3 minutes 43.40 seconds, it took 24 years for anyone else to get within a second of their times.
Kerr, though, isn’t just hoping to break El Guerrouj’s record, he’s hoping to obliterate it.
The 28-year-old Scot is embarking on what he’s called ‘Project 222’, so-called because he’s aiming to complete the four laps of the track in 222 seconds, or 3 minutes 42 seconds.
Kerr’s world record attempt will take place in London, in the Emsley Carr Mile at the 2026 London Diamond League, and it’s attracted much attention as a result of Kerr signposting months ago his stated target.
Drawing such attention to a world record attempt is always something I find interesting. In many ways, flagging his target quite as early as he did - it was as long ago as March of this year that Kerr went public with his record attempt - heaps a load of pressure upon his shoulders. As a result of his pubic declaration of intent, practically every interview Kerr has conducted since has focused, at least in part, upon his run in London. Had he kept his cards closer to his chest, it’s arguable that he’d have been able to go about his preparation with far less noise around him.
But, on the other hand, Kerr - whose current mile personal best is 3 minutes 45.34 seconds, set in 2024 - is not someone who is short of self-belief which, incidentally, is not a criticism. And he’s also someone who’s never been unduly effected in a negative sense by pressure. Kerr has long been able to talk a good game, but he’s also someone who’s been able to back-up that talk on the track, which is illustrated by his two Olympic medals and his world titles indoor and out.
Setting a new world record, though, is a different kettle of fish to winning medals.
Indeed, so different is it that Jake Wightman, who has world 1500m gold and silver to his name, has stated that record-chasing is just not for him despite his major championship success.
Kerr, though, has decided that becoming a world record holder is an accolade he wants, and who can blame him.
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Setting a new world record in anything is impressive. Setting it in athletics is another level entirely of impressiveness. And a world record in the mile specifically come with a level of admiration that exceeds most, or even all, other records.
There is, I would argue, no purer event than the mile. There’s millions upon millions of people who know what it feels like to run a mile. To do this faster than anyone ever has in history is such an astonishingly impressive feat there are barely words for it.
What makes the mile so significant is how relatable it is. Most people who run regularly, and many who don’t, know what it feels like to run a mile. Many know how fast they can run it. For context, I nearly killed myself recently getting close to running a six-minute mile. Kerr, at top pace, would be nearly two laps ahead of me by the end of the race.
Kerr’s preparations for this record attempt go beyond meticulous. The Scot isn’t looking for 1 percent gains, he’s looking for 0.1 percent gains. Such is his attention to detail, he’s been etching the words “I ran 3.42 at the London Diamond League. July 18th, 2026”, in the same notebook, using the same pen, every single day in the lead-up to his run. He also undertakes ice bath sessions which last precisely 3 minutes and 42 seconds, reflecting the time he needs to run to beat El Guerrouj’s mark. The ice baths are not a second shorter nor a second longer than 3:42.
It’s always hard to know if such attention to detail really makes any difference ultimately, to an athlete’s performance. And if Kerr breaks the record, we’ll still not know exactly what was the decisive factor that helped him push himself into the record books.
Perhaps Kerr’s greatest quality, though, alongside his obviously insane running talent, is his bullishness. It’s not always the most endearing quality in any individual but Kerr manages, for the most part, to stay on the right side of the line when it comes to arrogance. And it’s always hard to knock a bit of over-confidence when it’s then backed-up by world-class performances as happens, more often than not, with Kerr.
If the `Edinburgh man can break this longstanding mile record, it will be one of the truly great Scottish sporting performances. Kerr is already regarded as Scottish athletics’ great, but this record would push him onto another level entirely.
If I had to put money on it, I’d suggest it’ll be very, very hard for Kerr to break this record on Saturday. This is despite the home crowd, the fast track in London and the world-class field that’s been assembled. But having the odds against him is something that Kerr is, quite rightly, unfazed by.
Whatever Kerr’s time when he crosses the line in London, he’s done exactly what athletics needs and that’s create a headline and shine a spotlight upon the sport, which has been helped by the fact that Englishwoman Keely Hodgkinson is also going for a new world record, in her case in the 800m.
Whether Kerr can call himself a world record holder in a week’s time or not, we’ll have to wait and see. But it’s always, always better to try and fail than to never have tried at all.
