Nick Willis produced the goods in his first professional running race, claiming a fine 1500m win in the Jozef Odlozil Memorial Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic yesterday.
The United States-based Lower Hutt runner set a sizzling last lap to comfortably beat Kenya's Elkanah Angweny in three minutes 37.01 seconds the Dominion Post reported today.
Willis who lost his credit card and passport on the morning of the Odlozil meeting is entered in a Golden League meeting in Paris on Friday where the 70,000-seat stadium is already sold out.
However, his participation is dependent on recovering or securing the appropriate travel documents.
Presuming his plans return to normal, Willis will attempt to break John Walker's New Zealand 3000m record of 7min 37.49sec set in London in 1982 at a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 5.
Willis will be up against Ethiopia's world and Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele.
He will also race in London on July 22 and in Oslo on July 29.
In Oslo, Willis will be aiming to break Walker's 1500m record of 3min 32.4s, set on the same track at an IAAF meeting in 1975.
- NZPA
Athletics: Willis enjoys success in Prague
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