Kerr sets world record in men's mile, Alfred extends sprint streak at London Diamond League
via The Namibian3 min read
Josh Kerr achieved a new world record in the men's mile at the London Diamond League meet, clocking 3 minutes 42.66 seconds and surpassing Hicham El Guerrouj's 1999 record. Julien Alfred, the Olympic 100m champion, continued her winning form by securing victory in the 200m with a time of 21.66 seconds, improving her own meet record. Keely Hodgkinson won the 800m in 1 minute 56.21 seconds. In other events, Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis withdrew from the pole vault due to injury, with American Sam Kendricks winning the event. Karsten Warholm, the world 400m hurdles record holder, achieved his first victory of the season with a world-leading time of 46.61 seconds. American Brandon Miller won the 800m, and Ja'Kobe Tharp set a new meet record in the men's 110m hurdles with 12.89 seconds. Cierra Jackson won the women's shot put with a Diamond League record of 71.72m. Nigeria's Ajayi Kayinsola equalled his national record in the men's 100m, winning in 9.84 seconds.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
England secured third place at the 2026 World Cup by defeating France 6-4 in a high-scoring match. Both teams, having faced semi-final exits, made significant lineup changes for the game in Miami. England took an early lead with goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, followed by two goals from Bukayo Saka, making the score 4-0 by halftime. France's coach Didier Deschamps described the first-half performance as "catastrophic." In the second half, France mounted a comeback with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice, becoming the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi. Bradley Barcola also scored for France. England extended their lead further when Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick from a penalty. Ousmane Dembele added a fourth goal for France, but Jude Bellingham scored England's sixth goal, becoming the first England player to score seven goals in a World Cup. This third-place finish marks England's best World Cup result since 1966. France, who were runners-up in the previous tournament, were eliminated by Spain in the semi-finals. The World Cup final will feature Argentina against Spain.
England secured a 31-24 victory over Argentina in the Nations Championship, with No 8 Ben Earl scoring two tries. The match, described as ill-disciplined, saw England claim their second consecutive win in the competition. Argentina, on the other hand, suffered their second defeat in three games. The game concluded dramatically when a potential equalizing conversion attempt by Argentina's fly-half Tomas Albornoz was disallowed after a late try by Bautista Delguy was chalked off following a review. England received four yellow cards during the game, and the build-up to the fixture included off-field tensions, such as England's back-rower Henry Pollock taunting Argentine fans. England captain Jamie George had previously stated his team would leave the field if subjected to racist abuse. The match also featured Argentina wearing a remake of their 1986 football kit, famously worn when they beat England in the World Cup quarter-finals. England led 19-3 at halftime, but Argentina mounted a comeback, narrowing the gap to two points at one stage. However, England regained control and sealed the win, despite ending the game with 13 men after two more yellow cards were issued in the final minutes.
Must ReadArgentina is one game away from becoming the third team to successfully defend the World Cup, with European champions Spain as their opponent. Historically, only Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962 have achieved this feat. Italy retained their title by beating Hungary 4-2 in the 1938 final, four years after defeating Czechoslovakia. Brazil, with Garrincha playing a key role, beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 in 1962, following their 5-2 victory over Sweden in 1958, despite Pele's injury. Other teams that reached the final in consecutive tournaments but failed to win include Argentina in 1990, who lost to West Germany after winning in 1986, and Brazil in 1998, who were defeated by France after triumphing in 1994. Most recently, France came close to retaining their title in 2022, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick, but ultimately lost to Argentina on penalties.