Cameron Myers, 16, smashes the 4 minute Mile
"It's a really big confidence booster, but I've got to stay humble and keep working hard."
From Australian Associated Press
Canberra schoolboy Cameron Myers has become the second-youngest person after the great Jakob Ingebrigtsen to break the 4 minute Mile mark.
And Myers' time at the Maurie Plant Classic in Melbourne on Thursday was quicker than that run by the reigning Olympic 1500m champion.
Myers, aged 16 years and 259 days, clocked an astonishing time of 3 minutes, 55.44 seconds at Lakeside Stadium, finishing third in the John Landy Mile behind Australia's Commonwealth Games 1500m champion Olli Hoare.
He stripped a massive 12 seconds off his personal record, upstaging U.S. sprint superstar Fred Kerley in the process; his time is also an age 16 Mile world record.
Norwegian superstar Ingebrigtsen was only nine days younger when he first broke the magical sub-4 minute standard, clocking 3:58.07 in May 2017.
"He did it nine days earlier than I did it today," said Myers, who is doing Year 11 at Ginninderra College in Canberra.
"Obviously it would have been cool to do it in early February but it didn't fit in with my timetable.
"It's a really big confidence booster, but I've got to stay humble and keep working hard."
Hoare crossed the line first in 3:52.24 and New Zealander Sam Tanner was second in 3:53.83.
"At 3:55 (Myers) is probably running at 16 years of age better than most people in college in the U.S.," said Hoare.
"It's amazing talent for Australia moving forward and I'm excited for him.
""That's why we have these meets, why we have the hype, why we have people come back, to give our youth an opportunity to run fast and compete well with some of the best.
"He was able to get that opportunity and he seized it."
