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Sam Ruthe
New Zealand runner (born 2009) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sam Ruthe (born 12 April 2009) is a New Zealand middle- and long-distance runner. In early 2025, he won a senior national title in the 1500 metres[note 1] and 3000 metres.[1][2] He later became the youngest person in the world to break four minutes in the mile, running 3:58.35 at the age of 15.[3][4][5]
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Early and personal life
From Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty Region, Ruthe's parents Ben and Jesse were both champion runners in New Zealand.[6][7][8] His grandparents Trevor Wright and Rosemary Wright (née Stirling) competed at the Olympic Games, with Rosemary being the 1970 Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 800 metres, and Trevor being a silver medalist in the 1971 European Marathon Championship.[9][10]
Career
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Ruthe trains under Craig Kirkwood in New Zealand in a group that includes Sam Tanner.[11]
2024
At 15 years old in November, Ruthe set a 3000 metre personal best of 8:09.68 in Auckland, which broke the New Zealand under-17 and under-18 records in this event.[12]
2025
In January, at the Cooks Garden Meet in Whanganui, Ruthe ran the mile in a time of 4:01.72, reported to be 3.7 seconds quicker than the known world best for his age group.[7][8]
On 1 February, Ruthe won the New Zealand senior men's 3000m national championship held at the Potts Classic Meet in Hastings. His time of 7:56.18 was a world best for his age group, and in winning Ruthe became the youngest national men's champion in New Zealand athletics history, beating the previous youngest male, Dave Norris, who was 17 when he won the triple jump in 1957.[8][13][14] A few days later on 9 February, Ruthe ran 3:41.25 over 1500 metres at the Sir Graeme Douglas International in Auckland to beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen's world age-15 best of 3:42.44 from 2016.[15]
On 9 March, Ruthe won the New Zealand national senior men's 1500 metre title at Dunedin's Caledonian Ground, tying for first with Sam Tanner in a time of 3:44.31.[1] On 19 March, 25 days before his 16th birthday, Ruthe became the youngest person, and first 15-year-old, to run a sub-four minute mile, clocking 3:58.35 in Auckland.[3][16]
Ruthe ran a new 1500 m personal best of 3:40.12 in the John Landy Mile at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, on 29 March 2025.[17][18] On 12 July, he ran 3:39.17 to lower his own national under-17 and under-18 1500m records at the Sound Running Sunset Tour in Los Angeles.[19]
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Notes
- Title shared with Sam Tanner in a dead heat
References
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