NEW YORK CITY, January 25 — In his first time racing on an indoor track, 18-year-old Australian Cameron Myers comfortably handled a field of pros and collegians en route to setting a world U20 Record in the mile at the Dr. Sander Scorcher at the Armory. His 3:53.12 sliced almost 2 seconds off the previous mark (3:55.02), set by German Fernandez of the U.S. way back in 2009.
Myers, who was disappointed to not be selected for the Aussie squad for the Paris Olympics, came to the U.S. seeking the 3:50.00 qualifying mark for this fall’s World Champs in Tokyo. The early tempo (Myers hit halfway in 1:56.9 behind pacer Alex Amankwah) essentially put that out of reach, but the lanky teenager — who first went sub-4:00 as a 16-year-old — showed poise when he assumed the lead with four laps to go, with Great Britain’s Adam Fogg on his heels.
The adjustment to running on an indoor oval was mostly psychological. “It’s strange going around having to do eight laps,” said Myers, the silver medalist in the 1500 at the World U20 champs last summer. “[But] I don’t think it’s too different in terms of rhythm. You get a good rhythm and I think the banks are helpful.”
As Myers cruised home, Kenyan Festus Lagat closed well with the fastest final lap (27.52) to move up from 5th and edge Fogg for 2nd, 3:53.45 to 3:53.49.
“It’s pretty good for the first time running indoors and we’ll hopefully get that down by the time of Millrose in two weeks,” said Myers. The win earned him a spot in the Wanamaker Mile, where he’ll be looking to improve on the outdoor PR of 3:50.15 he ran last year.
Armory favorite Katelyn Tuohy, after running just four meets in 2024, won the women’s mile in 4:25.54, not far off the PR (and Collegiate Record) she ran at this meet two years ago (4:24.26). She was shadowed over the second half by Oregon’s Wilma Nielsen, who finished 2nd in 4:25.89, moving to No. 3 on the all-time collegiate list.
“I’ve been racing here since I was 12 years old, so it’s over 12 years now,” said Tuohy, who grew up in nearby North Rockland, New York, and won multiple NCAA titles at NC State. “It’s good to be back, and I’ll be back for Millrose.” (She’s already committed to the 3000, so will decline her invite into the mile.)
Penn grad Nia Akins…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at Track & Field News…