COULD STARS ALIGN FOR NUGUSE TO GET USA MILE RECORD AT PRE CLASSIC?
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2023 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved – Used with permission.
(15-Sep) — USA 1500m champion Yared Nuguse was only an eight year-old schoolboy on summer vacation when Alan Webb ran the still-standing American mile record of 3:46.91 at a small meeting in Brasschaat, Belgium. But since then Nuguse, who last February set the USA indoor mile record of 3:47.38 at the Millrose Games, has thought about Webb’s record a lot, first as a dream but now as an attainable goal.
Tomorrow in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., which serves as the Wanda Diamond League Final this year, Nuguse has the perfect opportunity to try for Webb’s record. He’s in a fast field which includes three other sub-3:50 milers –Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, Stewart McSweyn of Australia and George Mills of Great Britain– and will have the benefit qualified pacemakers and a packed house at Hayward Field which will surely be cheering him on.  “Hayward Magic” just might happen for the former Notre Dame star in what will be his last race of the season where he has already set three American records.
“I’ve always been a big proponent of ‘last one, best one’ and just finishing it out with everything you have,” Nuguse told reporters today at a press conference in Eugene.  “To be able to, one, come back to America to Eugene is really nice, and also just to finish in a mile. I think I’ve always been a little biased (but) the mile always felt a little more right than the 1500 did. It’s just really exciting and really fun to come back and see what I can do to my mile PR.”
Ingebrigtsen, the reigning World Athletics 5000m champion, is doubling this weekend in both the mile on Saturday and the 3000m on Sunday. However, the 3:46.46 miler said that the shorter race is his top priority. Although he did not say what his goal was, it was obvious that he came to Eugene to run fast. The fastest mile of 2023 (outdoors) was a relatively modest 3:52.24 by Australia’s Ollie Hoare in Melbourne back in February.
“First, I’m here to run the mile; that’s the most important objective of this meeting,” Ingebrigtsen told reporters. Â “First mile of the season, obviously the Diamond League Final, so hoping to bring (home) another trophy and hopefully a good time in the mile event.”
Hayward Field has been the venue of choice in the USA when it comes to running fast miles. The 3:50…
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