New Zealand’s Sam Ruthe has made history by becoming the youngest athlete and the first 15-year-old to run a mile in under four minutes, breaking the record by two seconds on Wednesday at Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland.
The middle-distance prodigy completed the race in a record 3:58.35, with pacemakers Sam Tanner and Ben Wall also finishing within the four-minute mark.
“This was probably my favourite goal that I’ve reached. I’ve definitely enjoyed this one the most, with all the people here supporting me,” Ruthe said. “This has been the most set up for me, so I’m really happy to have gotten this one.”
Ruthe, who achieved the record-breaking feat 24 days short of his 16th birthday, beat his previous best time of 4:01.72 seconds, which he achieved at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui in January.
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, a two-time Olympic champion and holder of three world records, ran the race in 3:58.07 at the age of 16, while Australia’s Cam Myers holds the current best time for a 16-year-old at 3:55.44.
Canberran Myers, now 18, has broken the under-20 indoor world mile record twice this year already, clocking his latest landmark of 3:47.48 in the Wanamaker Mile in New York in February – the first time a teenager had broken 3:48 for the mile, either indoors or outdoors.
Ruthe, like Myers, has been creating athletics headlines all summer, having shattered the age-15 world best for 3000m in November, and having lowered it twice more, most recently clocking 7:56.18 at the New Zealand Championships to become the youngest ever senior male national champ in any discipline.