Nuguse three-peats as Wanamaker Mile champion, sets world record
The first American male to set a track Mile WR since 1978, Dick Buerkle, also indoor WR (3:54.93), and the first Wanamaker WR since 1955, 70 years!!
By Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
NEW YORK - Little more than an hour after fellow American Paris Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher’s 3000m indoor world record, Yared Nuguse also made history of his own by winning the NYRR Wanamaker Mile in an indoor world record of 3:46.63, the first at the iconic race since 1955.
On Saturday, just hours before the 117th Millrose Games began, reigning 1500m world champion Josh Kerr announced his withdrawal from the race due to illness. But despite the Briton’s absence, the race produced a fitting climax to the world’s leading indoor one-day meet.
Abe Alvarado paced the field through 1000m in 2:20.49, then the two-time defending champion Nuguse maintained the tempo with world road Mile champion Hobbs Kessler tucked right behind. After passing through 1500m in 3:31.75, a significant improvement on his North American indoor record, Nuguse dug deep to hold on to victory in 3:46.63 and the $25,000 WR bonus. Kessler took second place in 3:46.90, also inside Yomif Kejelcha’s world indoor record of 3:47.01 from 2019.
In third, Cam Myers set an absolute world U20 record of 3:47.48 (and Australian record), having passed through 1500m in a world U20 indoor record of 3:32.67, with France’s Azeddine Habz setting a European indoor record of 3:47.56 in fourth. In 7th, Andrew Coscoran broke indoor legend Eamonn Coghlan's longstanding Irish and former world record of 3:49.78 from 1983, clocking 3:49.26.
"The race tactic was the same [without Josh Kerr], I was going to go to the front and grind no matter what anyone else did," said Nuguse, 25. after achieving his third Wanamaker Mile victory. "I have more confidence from the Olympics, more confidence in my training. I’m not afraid of the front any more. I knew that if I let up anywhere, they were going to pass me, so I was like ‘don’t let up, not even for a second’, and just hoped that I had more than they did at the end."
Overall, 4 national indoor records were set: USA, Australia, France and Ireland as well as 8 personal records. Also, the top 4 entered the top 5 all-time indoors, a record 8 men broke 3:50 indoors and all 11 finishers were sub-3:56 in arguably the greatest indoor Miler ever.
In a close women’s race, Paris Olympics 1500m bronze medalist, Georgia Bell of Great Britain, won her debut Wanamaker, holding off Americans Heather Maclean and Nikki Hiltz, 4:23.35, 4:23.41 and 4:23.50, respectively. High school senior Sadie Engelhardt finished 11th, clocking 4:27.97 to set the absolute prep Mile record (previous record, 4:28.25, Mary Cain, indoors 2013). Overall, a record tying 11 women went sub-4:30 indoors (also 2024 Wanamaker Mile).
