New Zealand athlete Sam Ruthe. Photo: Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games is now on the radar for New Zealand running sensation Sam Ruthe.
The athletics world is coming to terms with the 16-year-old who on Sunday became the youngest athlete to ever run a mile quicker than 3 minutes and 50 seconds and in doing so eclipsed the New Zealand record by Sir John Walker.
Ruthe ran 3m 48.88s at the John Thomas Terrier Indoor Classic in Boston, while Walker set his record of 3m 49.08s in 1982 outdoors at Oslo.
"Absolutely," said Ruthe's father Ben Ruthe, when asked if competing at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July was on the cards.
Ben Ruthe had the option of competing at the Commonwealth Games or the World Junior Championships this year and Ben said with his son still eligible to run the worlds again, the Commonwealth Games is a preference.
Ruthe's grandmother Rosemary Wright won the Commonwealth Games 800m gold medal running for Scotland in Edinburgh in 1970.
"It would be really, really special," Ben Ruthe said. "Sam would love to do that for his nan as well".
The time Ruthe completed in Boston qualified him for the Commonwealth Games.
Coach Craig Kirkwood admitted they didn't originally consider the Commonwealth Games at the start of the year because of the qualifying standards, but that had now changed.
"Yeh I think so, we'll be revisiting our plan for the year in the next couple of weeks."
Kirkwood said he was stunned with Ruthe's run in Boston.
"Disbelief, just shocked at how fast he was moving and how good he looked doing it.
"It is very encouraging and I can't wait to see what he does next."
Ruthe's was scheduled to race in a field that includes Olympic champion Cole Hocker of the United States in North Carolina in a fortnight.
Kirkwood doesn't see an issue with the athletes Ruthe's will come up against as the teenager doesn't have any anxiety when preparing for races.
"He doesn't get too excited about the events and doesn't get nervous or worry about who he is lining up against.
"He's always very calm and very measured, which is fantastic."
Kirkwood was also delighted with how Ruthe's tactically ran the race in Boston as it was his first ever indoor event.
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