Jakob Ingebrigtsen's rival Josh Kerr eyes the UK mile record days after breaking the indoor two-mile world record

Scottish middle-distance runner Josh Kerr set a new world record in the indoor two-mile. To add more to his repertoire, he's now eyeing the UK mile record ahead of the Prefontaine Classic, distinct from his powerful training sessions.

Josh Kerr, 26, has been in top form since his 2023 World Athletics Championships performance, where his 1500m time smoothly surpassed that of reigning champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. He aimed to repeat the feat at the 2023 Diamond League finals but his winning time fell 1.7s short of the British record. He soared to the third position in 1500m on the World Athletics Rankings, behind rival Ingebrigtsen.

2024 has been equally exciting to date. At the Milrose Games, he lowered Mo Farah's world record time of 8:03.40 (2015) in the indoor two-mile to 8:00.67. His 3000m performance at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow earned him the gold, followed by the Oregon Relays, where he opened his outdoor season with the 800m victory.

At the upcoming Prefontaine Classic, the likes of Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen will go head-to-head in the most awaited clash since 2024. But the former has another thing to take care of - lowering the UK record in the mile. In a video posted by Track All Access, the 26-year-old was seen sweating it out on the track while talking with Brooks Beats Track Club Head Coach, Danny Mackey.

The coach-tutee duo spoke about how lowering the world record would be difficult, therefore stating that the British record is their goal.

"What's the mile record for the UK?" asked coach Mackey.

In response, Kerr said:

"3:46. We can get that one. The other one is quite difficult [world record]. It's crazy how that works.

Ingebrigtsen has kept himself out of competitions for a while, citing an Achilles injury. However, both he and Kerr are present in the Prefontaine Classic start list, promising an adrenaline-fuelled Bowerman Mile dash on May 25, 2024.

Josh Kerr issued that he needs to be better to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics

In CITIUS Mag's Josh Kerr and The Hunt For Gold episode of Beasts: Unleashed, Kerr opened up on the possibilities of the Olympic ground being highly contentious. He thinks that his current pace would do much if he doesn't shoot up ahead of Paris.

"I think that the fun part for me is it's a new challenge and it's a whole new competition. I need to be better. The Olympic final is going to be faster than the world final."

However, Jakob Ingebrigtsen's arch-rival Josh Kerr never says no to a challenge, thus exuding confidence despite looming contention.

"The runs are going to be faster. It's going to be a harder team to make and I'm just excited to be up for that challenge."