New Zealand's Sam Ruthe becomes youngest person ever to run sub-four minute mile at 15 years old

The teen has already made history a couple of times in his young career

By Austin Nivison

Mar 20, 2025 at 3:03 pm ET • 1 min read

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Sam Ruthe is now the youngest person ever to run a sub-four minute mile at 15-years old. The New Zealand teen broke the record at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Ruthe finished the mile in 3:58.35, which beat his previous best of 4:01.72 seconds. The 15-year-old was flying around the track, and Ruthe said he was happy to hit that milestone for everyone who has supported him in his quest for history.

"This was probably my favorite goal that I've reached. I've definitely enjoyed this one the most, with all the people here supporting me," Ruthe said.

"This has been the most set up for me, so I'm really happy to have gotten this one."

It won't be long before Ruthe sets his sights on the 16-year-old mile records. Ruthe is just a few weeks away from his birthday, where he will already be in hot pursuit of the best mile times for that age.

Australian Cam Myers is the current record-holder among 16-year-olds with a time of 3:55.44. Ruthe now has just over 365 days to shave a few more seconds off his time.

Even at a young age, Ruthe has become accustomed to making history. Back on Feb. 1, Ruthe became the youngest person in New Zealand history to win a national senior track and field title when he won the 3,000-meter race at the Potts Classic. He finished with a time of 7:56.18 seconds.