Josh Kerr set a new world indoor record and Laura Muir a British record in what was a spectacular evening for the Scots at the 116th Millrose Games in New York.
World 1500m champion, Kerr, was racing over the rarely-contested distance of 2 miles and since the turn of the year, had targeted setting a world record. He duly delivered, obliterating a high quality field in what was his first outing of the year.
The previous world best of 8 minutes 3.40 seconds had been set by Mo Farah in 2015 but Kerr bettered that with ease, crossing the line in 8 minutes 0.67 seconds, well clear of second-placed Grant Fisher of the USA who set a new national record of 8 minutes 3.62 seconds.
Kerr demonstrated quite what shape he's in six months out from the Olympic Games, running his first mile in 4 minutes 3.63 seconds and his second in 3 minutes 57.04 seconds as he cruised over the line for victory.
“That was so hard,” the 26-year-old said.
“I was really hurting with eight laps to go, which is so far. I’d wanted to go early but I just couldn’t.
“Running two four-minute miles back-to-back is much harder than I thought and I’m so glad I was able to come away with not only the win but also the record.
“Now I’m world champion, I’m having fun with it and creating big goals and getting myself out the door to prove I’m not all talk.”
This was also Muir’s first competitive appearance of 2024 and she too produced an impressive performance.
Having originally planned to run the Wanamaker Mile at this meet, the 30-year-old switched to the longer distance of two miles just a few days ago but there were certainly no ill-effects of the late change of plan.
Muir clocked a new British record of 9 minutes 4.84 seconds to cross the line in second place behind Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa but the Scot was soon upgraded to first place when it was adjudged that Eisa had cut in before she had passed the markers allowing such a move, resulting in her disqualification.
There was an extra bonus for Muir with the race giving an official 3000m split, with the Scot going through 3000m in 8 minutes 31.44 seconds, well inside the qualifying mark for the World Indoor Championships, which will take place in her home city of Glasgow next month.
“I could see she was a bit confused at the start so I tried to show her but then she just went straight across,” Muir said of Eisa’s move which resulted in her disqualification.
“I messed-up a little bit because I saw we were on for 8:37-time so I went a bit early thinking I had 34 seconds for the last lap but then realised I had that wrong, but oh well.
“The mission was to come here and get the job done and I did that.”
Next up for Muir is the British Indoor Championships next weekend before the World Indoor Championships on home soil at the start of March while Kerr has yet to announce whether he will contest the World Indoors.
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