Kiwi runner Sam Ruthe becomes youngest man to win national senior athletics title

Sam Ruthe celebrates winning the men's 3000m. Photo / Photosport

By RNZ

Tauranga teenager Sam Ruthe has produced another extraordinary run to become the youngest man to win a national senior track and field title.

In a performance that emphasises his enormous potential, the 15-year-old won the men’s 3000m at the Potts Classic meet in Hastings, powering home over the final lap to finish nearly 10m clear of his vastly more experienced rivals.

His time of 7min 56.18sec was comfortably a personal best and was world best for his age group.

Christchurch athletes David Lee and William Little were second and third respectively in the race - which doubled as the national championship event - with all the athletes having benefited from Ruthe’s father Ben setting the pace in the opening laps.

The previous youngest New Zealand men’s champion was Dave Norris, who was 17 when he won the triple jump in 1957.

The youngest woman is Karen Whimp, who was a few days older than Ruthe when she won the high jump in 1976.

It continues a remarkable run of results for Ruthe, who turns 16 in April.

In November, his 3000m time of 8:09.68 at a meet in Auckland smashed the New Zealand under-17 and under-18 records for the distance.

He beat the previous world best time recorded by a 15-year-old over the distance by more than 1sec, set in 2022 by Japan’s Yota Mashiko.

At last week’s Cooks Garden meet in Whanganui, he ran a time of 4min 01.72sec for the mile - believed to be 3.7sec quicker than the known world best for his age.

Multiple Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway is the youngest person to break the four-minute mile barrier, achieving it at the age of 16 years and 250 days.

Ruthe’s father Ben and mother Jessica were both former middle distance national champions.

He is coached by Craig Kirkwood, who also mentors two-time Olympian Sam Tanner and two-time Olympic triathlon medallist Hayden Wilde.

- RNZ