Is there another Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the rise? On Wednesday at ACA Mile Night in Auckland, New Zealand teenager Sam Ruthe stamped his name in the history books as the youngest person and first 15-year-old to run a sub-four-minute mile, recording a blistering 3:58.07. Ingebrigtsen was previously the youngest runner to accomplish the feat when he clocked 3:58.07 at 16 in 2017.
“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, per Reuters. “This has been the most set up for me, so I’m really happy to have gotten this one.”
Ruthe, who is 15 years, 11 months and six days old, was paced by two-time Olympian and training partner Sam Tanner. The teen also shattered the national U19 and U20 marks, formerly held by Tanner, himself.
In 2023, Australian phenom Cameron Myers set the record for the fastest mile for the 16-year-old age group, running a mark of 3:55.44; at the time, he was the second-youngest person to dip under the four-minute barrier. Last month, Myers, now 18, shattered the U20 world record in the mile, with a time of 3:47.48.
At last month’s New Zealand Track and Field Championships, Ruthe shattered his own 3,000m age group world record by 10 seconds, clocking 7:56.1 to win the senior men’s national title. The following week, he surpassed another mark of Ingebrigtsen’s, breaking his age group world 1,500m record in 3:41.25.
Given Ingebrigtsen’s already impressive professional resume, it’s evident that Ruthe has a bright future on the track.
