Josh Kerr claimed the first world record of his career on Sunday night in New York to underline his intent to strike Olympic gold in Paris next summer.

The 26-year-old from Edinburgh made good on his pledge to wrestle the indoor 2-mile mark away from Mo Farah with a brilliant victory at the Millrose Games in 8:00.67. It was a serious statement from the 2023 outdoor world 1500 metres champion who covered the second mile at The Armory in a shade over three minutes and 57 seconds.

And Kerr said: “That was so hard. Running two four-minute miles back-to-back is a lot harder than you think. I’m so glad I was able to come off and not only get the win but that record. That shows the level of athlete I’ve become. I had to roll through the punches early in my career to become world-class. Now I’m world champion, I can have some fun with it.”

Josh Kerr of Great Britain sets the world record at 8:00.67 winning the Dr. Sander Men's 2 Mile during the 116th Millrose Games at The Armory Track on February 11, 2024 in New York City.

Travelling to the venue on the Big Apple’s subway, his impressive surge towards history saw him pull away from lone rival Grant Fisher who set an American record that was just outside Farah’s old benchmark of 8:03.40, set in Birmingham nine years ago. Only Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Daniel Komen have managed to better Kerr’s landmark time outdoors. And he is expected to make up his mind later on Monday on whether to take a tilt at next month’s world indoor championships in Glasgow.

Laura Muir admitted it’s now full steam ahead to hunt gold at the Emirates Arena after taking a victory in the women’s two miles that added to her list of British records. The Olympic medallist clocked 9:04.84 to better Lisa Dobriskey’s long-standing UK mark but was out-sprinted off the final bend by Medina Eisa. However the Ethiopian was disqualified for a lane violation as the Scot was promoted into first place in her first race of 2024 following a gruelling training stint in South Africa.

And it added to her gains after the 30-year-old completed the formalities mid-race of earning the 3000m qualifying mark for Glasgow of 8:37.00 amid what was ratified as the second-fastest time in history over the little-run distance. But Muir admitted: “I messed up a little bit in checking the 8:37 time when I saw the split. That was the mission coming here. So it’s job done.”

Meanwhile Neil Gourley is facing a race against time to be fit for next weekend’s British Indoor Championships after he was hit by a “freak injury in training”. The Glaswegian, who is targeting world indoors, could beg selectors for a free pass in the trials. He said: “I’m doing everything to get back health in time for Glasgow.”

Josh Kerr lands maiden world record in New York - 'that shows the level of athlete I’ve become'