Just days after Josh Kerr broke the men’s mile world record at the London Athletics on July 18, the British star revealed the financial side of his feat. Kerr ran 3:42.66 to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old mark of 3:43.13 by 0.47 seconds. For the performance, he received a $50,000 World Athletics bonus – quite a substantial amount in the world of track and field. Still, the 28-year-old is not happy with it given the scale of the accomplishment required to reach that level.

Speaking after his record-breaking performance in front of more than 60,000 fans at London Stadium, Kerr acknowledged that the bonus was welcome. However, he pointed out that El Guerrouj received the exact same amount when he set the previous record in 1999. With nearly three decades having passed and inflation significantly changing the value of money, Kerr questioned why the reward has remained unchanged.

“It was a good day for me financially, but $50,000 is a ridiculous number,” Kerr told The Times. “To get the same amount 27 years later is appalling, not to sound greedy.” The Olympic silver medalist then explained that world records do not come out of the blue. Rather than simply a single event, there are years of personal investment and sacrifice behind every big event, with elite athletes investing heavily in their training, coaching, camps, travel, nutrition, recovery, sports science support, and medical support.

Since becoming a pro in 2018, Kerr has done his best to establish a support network for his career. He joined the Brooks Beasts Track Club and has had the opportunity to train and receive elite coaching as well as performance support from coach Danny Mackey. “I know how much that took from investing in myself financially over the last eight years as a professional,” Kerr said. “I just feel like I’ve been a bit short-changed a little bit.”

Kerr’s remarks followed months of campaigning for his highly publicized “Project 222,” which was his goal of covering the mile in 222 seconds. The effort involved altitude training in New Mexico, specially designed spikes and a smart race-planning strategy based on one of the most famous records in athletics. While he missed the 222-second barrier, Kerr still delivered a performance that secured his place in the sport’s history books.

The race also produced a new British 1,500m record of 3:27.62 as he passed through the distance on his way to the mile world record. Despite his disappointment with athletics’ financial rewards, Kerr’s focus remains firmly on future goals. The Scotsman has already identified the men’s 1,500m world record as a target and has also spoken openly about his dream of one day competing in, and potentially winning, the London Marathon after his track career.

Before his recent comments about the $50,000 world record bonus, Kerr had already raised concerns about athlete compensation in 2024.

Josh Kerr and Noah Lyles unite in calling for better pay in athletics

After winning the 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Kerr received $40,000 in prize money. While grateful for the reward, he questioned whether it truly showed the value of becoming a world champion. Speaking to The Guardian, Kerr compared athletics with sports such as golf and tennis, in terms of money.

“That seems crazy versus other sports,” Kerr said, “We need to bring some validity to these championships.” Kerr said that a more equitable reward system for the athletes is necessary in order for athletics to continue to draw the world’s best talent and to expand athletics as a world sport.

He is not the only athlete to raise the issue. Around the same period, American sprint star Noah Lyles also spoke about the financial challenges facing track and field competitors. Lyles said he wants athletes in the sport to enjoy the same commercial opportunities available to stars in leagues such as the NBA and NFL.

According to Lyles, “If you believe that only getting medals is going to make everybody like you or make everybody want to do business with you. Unfortunately, that’s not all it takes.”

Their remarks reflect a worry which has been around in sports for years. Despite its Olympic success, world success, and world record success, many believe the sport has not been rewarded commensurate with the investment, sacrifices, and performances demanded to compete at the highest level.