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Kiwi teenage athletics prodigy Sam Ruthe has become the youngest person in history to run a sub-four-minute mile.
The 15-year-old achieved the incredible feat with a time of three minutes, 58.35 seconds in front of jubilant spectators at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on March 19.
Ruthe surpasses the previous youngest sub-four-minute milers: Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who ran 3:58.07 at 16 years old, and Cam Myers, who clocked 3:55.44 at aged 16.
He also knocked down the New Zealand U19 and U20 mile records of 3:58.41, previously held by his training partner and pacemaker, Sam Tanner.
“This was probably my favourite goal that I’ve reached,” a thrilled Ruthe said after breaking the record.
“Especially with all these people here … I’m really, really happy.”
The conditions looked to dampen affairs as the rain fell throughout the afternoon in Auckland on the day of his attempt.
The conditions eased just before 8pm and the wind, which would’ve made the run significantly more difficult, stayed away.
Tanner, a two-time Olympian and 3:49 miler, expertly paced Ruthe through the race before pulling out to lane two down the finishing straight, leaving Ruthe a clear run to the line.
Ethan Smolej provided the early pace, taking the race through 800 metres bang on the scheduled time of two minutes before stepping aside to let Tanner take up the mantle.
The Auckland crowd was right behind Ruthe from the starting gun.
With over 1000 people in the stadium cheering, and over 44,000 people tuning in to the livestream on YouTube, he accomplished his goal and etched his name in the record books.
New Zealand has long been a powerhouse in the mile, from Sir John Walker, the first man to break 3:50, to legendary record-breakers like Sir Peter Snell and Jack Lovelock.
Ruthe is the latest Kiwi to carry that legacy forward, proving the future of New Zealand middle-distance running is brighter than ever.
