Sam Ruthe (Black Singlet) & Caleb Wagener (White Singlet). Ruthe, from Tauranga, set a new 3000m world record for a 15-year-old at a meeting in Auckland after clocking a time of 8:09.68. Photo / Rob Rickerby / ACA Athletics
By RNZ
Young Tauranga runner Sam Ruthe has eclipsed the world-best time for a 15-year-old over 3000m.
Ruthe broke the record at a meeting in Auckland after clocking a time of 8m09.68s, which also surpassed the New Zealand Under-17 and Under-18 records.
He beat the previous best time for a 15-year-old, set by Japan’s Yota Mashiko in 1995, by 1.44s.
Ruthe is coached by Craig Kirkwood, who also mentors two-time Olympian Sam Tanner and two-time Olympic triathlon medallist Hayden Wilde.
His father Ben is a former national middle-distance champion, while his mother Jessica was a multiple national champion in distances from 1500m to 10,000m.
Even his maternal grandparents, Olympians Trevor and Rosemary Wright, brought elite talent to the family.
Rosemary, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, held the Scottish 800m record (2m00.15s) for 30 years.
“He’s a beast,” Kirkwood said.
“I knew he’d be quick ... when we heard that the race was set up as an Under-17 record attempt, we thought we’d head up and see if we could get among it.
“We thought he’d be in the region of the [U17] record, but to get under 8.10 was impressive.”
- RNZ
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