Seoul Gazette - Record setter Kerr, Alfred light up London Diamond League

But injury-hit Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis was forced to withdraw from the pole vault in what was the 11th meet of the 15-leg elite circuit of track and field.

In what was touted as the world's best-attended one-day athletics meet at London Stadium, home to Championship football team West Ham United, Kerr was carried home by a raucous near 60,000-capacity crowd.

The 28-year-old US-based Scot clocked 3min 42.66sec to smash the previous best of 3:43.13 set by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999.

A two-time world indoor 3,000m winner, Kerr was paced to perfection by his training partner Brannon Kidder and Slovenian Zan Rudolph, and was left to punch the air in triumph as he crossed the line.

Kerr's British teammate Keely Hodgkinson, having ruled out a tilt at a world record in the 800m, got back to winning ways as she claimed victory in the two-lap race in 1:56.21 ahead of Dutchwoman Femke Broeders-Bol.

Alfred continued her impressive form, the Olympic 100m champion from St Lucia bettering her own meet record from 2025 with victory in the 200m in 21.66sec.

American Gabby Thomas, the 200m gold medallist from the Paris Games in 2024, had to be content with second in 21.81sec.

"It was most definitely a tough field," said Alfred. "It's always a pleasure and a privilege to compete against them.

"I am happy, I won one again."

- Injury concern for Duplantis -

American Sam Kendricks was the surprise winner of the men's pole vault with a season's best of 5.95sec in a competition marked by the withdrawal of Duplantis, just three weeks out from the European championships in the English city of Birmingham.

Duplantis sailed over his opening mark of 5.60m, but failed once on 5.85 before passing on that.

The US-born Swede went over at 5.95m along with Kendricks, Australian Kurtis Marschall and Greece's Emmanouil Karalis.

The bar went up to 6.04m, but Duplantis withdrew from competition with a thigh issue, with father and coach Greg a concerned onlooker from the stands.

Two-time former world champion Kendricks won on countback, Duplantis taking second ahead of Marschall and Karalis.

Kendricks' first world title came at the London Stadium in 2017, just like world 400m hurdles record holder Karsten Warholm.

And the Norwegian produced his traditional front-running display to race into a world lead of 46.61sec for his first victory this season.

"Competing in London brings back memories of 2017 every single time. It sounds cliche, but this stadium brings very special meaning to me, it is fantastic to be here," said Warholm.

"It's a good way for me to start going into Birmingham."

Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, fresh from a new world best in the 1,000m in Monaco last week, was pushed into fourth in the 800m.

American Brandon Miller tracked the Kenyan down with 120 metres to run and held on for victory in a personal best of 1:42.19.

Miller's maiden Diamond League victory was mirrored in the men's 110m hurdles by US teammate Ja'Kobe Tharp, who set a world record of 12.75sec during heats at the NCAA collegiate athletics championships in Eugene in June.

Tharp ran a new meet record of 12.89sec, the joint 12th fastest of all time, for the win.

"I knew if I could execute, it was going to be a bad day for everybody else," said Tharp.

"No race is ever perfect but I was happy enough with how I ran. I was soaking up the atmosphere, I love racing in front of big crowds, so it definitely helped me."

A third American, Cierra Jackson, earlier smashed her personal best by more than four metres to win the women's shot put with a Diamond League record of 71.72m with her sixth and final effort.

Nigeria's Ajayi Kayinsola equalled his country's national record of 9.84sec, into a headwind, to claim victory in the men's 100m ahead of Jamaica's world champion Oblique Seville (9.87).

X.Ahn--SG