New Zealander Sam Ruthe becomes youngest to break 4-minute mile
Topic:Athletes
10m ago10 minutes agoWed 19 Mar 2025 at 9:32pm
Sam Ruthe celebrates
Sam Ruthe ran 3:58.35, a new personal best. (Getty Images: Phil Walter)
In short:
Sam Ruthe became the first 15-year-old to run a sub-4-minute mile in Auckland.
Ruthe was 24 days short of his 16th birthday when he set the record.
Australia's Cam Myers holds the current best time for a 16-year-old at 3:55.44.
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 4 minutes, breaking the record by 2 seconds on Wednesday at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland.
The middle-distance prodigy completed the race in a record 3 minutes and 58.35 seconds, with pacemakers Sam Tanner and Ben Wall also finishing within the 4-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 had already become New Zealand's youngest ever senior national champion when he won the 3,000m in an age group world record of 7:56.18 in February.
He also tied with Tanner, who competed in the Paris Olympics, for the 1,500m title in a time of 3:44.31.
Ruthe, who achieved the record-breaking feat 24 days short of his 16th birthday, beat his previous best time of 4 minutes and 1.72 seconds, which he achieved at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui in January.
Sam Ruthe holds out his hands
Sam Ruthe was comfortably under 4 minutes in the end. (Getty Images: Phil Walter)
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 and was the previous record holder.
Australia's Cam Myers holds the current best time for a 16-year-old at 3:55.44.
The 4-minute mile is considered a near mythical middle-distance running benchmark.
Britain's Sir Roger Bannister was the first man to officially beat that mark at Oxford University's Iffley Road Track in 1954, with fellow runners Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher providing pace making duties.
A month later, Australia's John Landy became the second man to achieve a sub-4-minute mile, running 3:57.9 in Finland.
Both men ran under 4 minutes at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver.
Bannister won the race in in 3:58.8, with Landy finishing second in 3:59.6.
The current world record is 3:43.13, held by Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj, which he set in 1999 in Rome.
No woman has run sub-4 minutes for the mile, with 4:07.64 the current world record held by Kenya's Faith Kipyegon.
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Posted10m ago10 minutes agoWed 19 Mar 2025 at 9:32pm
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