Josh Kerr facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Josh Kerr

Kerr at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships
Personal information
Born	(1997-10-08) 8 October 1997 (age 28) Edinburgh, Scotland
Education	University of New Mexico
Height	6 feet 2 inches (187 cm)
Spouse(s)	Larimar Rodriguez ​ (m. 2025)​
Sport
Country	Great Britain & N.I. Scotland
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	1500 metres, Mile
Club	Brooks Beasts Track Club Edinburgh AC
Coached by	Danny Mackey (2018–) Joe Franklin (2015–2018) Mark Pollard (2015) David Campbell (–2015)

Josh Kerr is a famous Scottish runner. He was born on October 8, 1997. Josh is known for his amazing speed in middle-distance races. He even holds the world record for the mile run! He achieved this record in 2026 with a time of 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds.

Josh has won many important medals. He earned a gold medal at the 2023 World Championships in the 1500-meter race. He also won a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the same event. In 2026, he became the Commonwealth Games champion for the mile. Josh is also a two-time world indoor champion in the 3000-meter race, winning in 2024 and 2026. When he was younger, he won gold at the 2015 European Junior Championships.

Before becoming a professional runner, Josh competed for the University of New Mexico. There, he won three national college titles. He set a college record in the 1500 meters in 2017. In 2018, he became a professional athlete. He joined the Brooks Beasts Track Club. In 2023, he was named Scottish Sportsperson of the Year.

Josh's Early Life and Start in Running

Josh Kerr was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on October 8, 1997. His family was very active in sports. His dad used to play rugby, and his older brother, Jake, is a professional rugby player. Josh started running with the Edinburgh Athletics Club when he was just eight years old. He went to George Watson's College for his education.

When Josh was 16, he dreamed of competing in college sports in the United States. He contacted many college coaches. Most of them said no. But the coach at the University of New Mexico saw his talent. This coach offered Josh a full scholarship to join their athletics team.

Before starting college, Josh won a gold medal. He competed in the 1500-meter race at the 2015 European Junior Championships. Soon after, at 17, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He began studying exercise science and running for the University of New Mexico.

College Running Success

Kerr (center) competing in the 1500 meters at the 2018 NCAA Championships.

At the University of New Mexico, Josh became a star runner. He won three national titles in the NCAA. The NCAA is where college athletes compete across the United States.

In March 2017, Josh won his first big college title. He won the indoor mile race. He even beat Edward Cheserek, who was a famous college runner. In June 2017, Josh won another national title. He won the outdoor 1500-meter race. This made him the first runner since 2008 to win both the indoor mile and outdoor 1500-meter titles in the same year.

Josh won the indoor mile again in March 2018. On April 20, 2018, he set a new college record. He ran the 1500-meter race in 3 minutes and 35.01 seconds. This broke a record that had stood since 1981! His record lasted for over three years. Josh's last college race was in June 2018. He finished third in the 1500 meters at the NCAA Championships.

Josh Kerr's Professional Running Career

Starting as a Pro Athlete (2018–2020)

Kerr at the 2019 Millrose Games.

In June 2018, Josh decided to become a professional runner. This meant he would no longer compete in college sports. He signed a deal with Brooks Sports, a company that makes running gear. He joined the Brooks Beasts Track Club. There, he trained with coach Danny Mackey. Josh trained in both Seattle and Albuquerque.

In August 2019, Josh competed in the British Athletics Championships. He won a silver medal in the 1500-meter race. This win allowed him to represent Great Britain at the 2019 World Championships. He finished sixth in the final race there.

Olympic Bronze Medal in 2021

In May 2021, Josh set a new personal best time in the 800-meter race. The next month, he won his first national title in the 1500 meters at the British Championships. This victory secured his spot on the British team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The Olympics were held in Tokyo in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Olympic 1500-meter final, Josh won a bronze medal! He set a new personal best time of 3 minutes and 29.05 seconds.

European Indoor Mile Record in 2022

On February 27, 2022, Josh ran the indoor mile in an amazing 3 minutes and 48.87 seconds. This race was at the Boston University Last Chance Meet. He broke the European indoor mile record, which had stood since 1983. He also broke the British indoor mile record from 1990. During this race, his 1500-meter split time also set a new British national record for the indoor 1500 meters. In July, he competed in the 1500 meters at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He finished in fifth place.

World Champion in 2023

Kerr celebrates after winning the 1500 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

On August 23, 2023, Josh Kerr became a world champion! He won the 1500-meter final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. He beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who was a strong favorite to win. This was a special win. Another runner from Josh's club, Jake Wightman, had also beaten Ingebrigtsen in 2022.

Later that month, Josh tried to break the British record in the 1500 meters. This was at the Diamond League Final. He finished second with a time of 3 minutes and 30.51 seconds. On September 10, 2023, Josh won the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile race. He finished the year ranked third in the world for the 1500 meters. Sportscotland named him Scottish Sportsperson of the Year for 2023.

Amazing Achievements in 2024

Kerr (center) after winning the men's 3000m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

Josh started 2024 with a bang! On February 11, he set a world best time in the indoor 2-mile race. His time of 8 minutes and 00.67 seconds beat Mo Farah's record from 2015. On March 2, Josh won a gold medal in the 3000 meters at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

In May, Josh won the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic. He set a new British record with a time of 3 minutes and 45.34 seconds. He beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Yared Nuguse in this exciting race. This race was called the "Mile of the Century." Josh became the sixth fastest miler in history.

In late June, Josh competed in the 800 meters at the British Athletics Championships. He was chosen to race in the 1500 meters at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He was also named the captain for the Great Britain athletics team.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Josh won a silver medal in the 1500-meter final. He finished second to Cole Hocker from the United States. Josh set a new personal best and a new British national record of 3 minutes and 27.79 seconds. This broke Mo Farah's previous record. On September 8, Josh won the Fifth Avenue Mile again. He set a new course record of 3 minutes and 44.3 seconds. This broke a 43-year-old record! In October, Josh was named Scottish Athletics' athlete of the year.

British 5000m Champion in 2025

Kerr winning gold in the 5000m at the 2025 UK Championships.

In February 2025, Josh had to miss a race due to illness. In May, he won the 1500 meters at the 2025 Miami Slam. He also set a new personal best in the 800 meters. In August, Josh became the British 5000 meters champion. He won the title at the 2025 UK Athletics Championships. In September, Josh got a calf injury during the 1500-meter final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

World Record Holder in the Mile (2026)

In March 2026, Josh won his second world indoor 3000-meter title. This was at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland. That same month, Josh announced a big goal. He planned to try and break the world record for the mile race. This attempt would happen at the London Diamond League meet in July.

Josh prepared very carefully for this record attempt. He trained at high altitude in Albuquerque for five weeks. He also completed a 1200-meter practice run in 2 minutes and 42.45 seconds.

On July 18, 2026, Josh Kerr made history! He broke the mile world record at the London Diamond League. He ran the mile in an incredible 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds. This was 2.68 seconds faster than his previous best. The old record had been held by Hicham El Guerrouj since 1999. This meant the record had stood for 27 years! Josh called his attempt "Project 222." This referred to running a mile in 222 seconds. He used special running shoes and a speed suit. Two pacemakers, Brannon Kidder and Žan Rudolf, helped him keep the right speed during the race. On his way to the world record, Josh also set a new British national record for his 1500-meter split time.

At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Josh won a gold medal in the mile. It was a slow race at first. But Josh pulled ahead in the last 200 meters. He beat Cameron Myers and Jake Wightman. He won in front of his home crowd in Scotland. Josh said this win meant everything to him. He had circled this championship on his calendar.

Josh's Personal Life

Josh Kerr married his girlfriend, Larimar Rodriguez, in December 2025. They first met when they were both at the University of New Mexico.

Achievements and Records

This section shows Josh Kerr's achievements. The information comes from his World Athletics profile.

International competitions

Representing  Great Britain &  Scotland

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result	Team
2015	European Junior Championships	Eskilstuna, Sweden	1st	1500 m	3:49.62	Great Britain
2016	World U20 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	10th	1500 m	3:51.23	Great Britain
	European Cross Country Championships	Chia, Italy	14th	Junior race	17:38	Great Britain
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	34th (h)	1500 m	3:47.30	Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	6th	1500 m	3:32.52	Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	3rd	1500 m	3:29.05	Great Britain
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	5th	1500 m	3:30.60	Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
	Commonwealth Games	Birmingham, United Kingdom	12th	1500 m	3:35.72	Scotland
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	1500 m	3:29.38	Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
2024	World Indoor Championships	Glasgow, Scotland	1st	3000 m	7:42.98	Great Britain
	Olympic Games	Paris, France	2nd	1500 m	3:27.79	Great Britain
2025	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	14th	1500 m	4:11.23	Great Britain
2026	World Indoor Championships	Toruń, Poland	1st	3000 m	7:35.56	Great Britain

Personal bests

Honours

• Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year Nominee: 2024

See also

In Spanish: Josh Kerr para niños