Sam Ruthe
{{Short description|New Zealand runner (born 2009)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}{{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Sam Ruthe
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2009|4|12|df=yes}}
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| sport = Athletics
| event = middle distance running, Long-distance running
| pb = {{ubl
|800 m: 1:50.57 (Wellington 2025)
|1500 m: 3:40.12 (Melbourne 2025) {{AthAbbr|NU18R|New Zealand}}
|Mile: 3:58.35 {{AthAbbr|NU20R}} (Auckland 2025)
|3000 m: 7:56.18 {{AthAbbr|NU18R|New Zealand}} (Hastings 2025)
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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{{NoteTag|Title shared with Sam Tanner in a dead heat}} and 3000 metres.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/athletes/new-zealand/sam-ruthe-15131581|website=World Athletics|date=2 February 2025|title=Sam Ruthe}} 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.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Sam Ruthe: New Zealander, 15, becomes youngest person to run sub-four-minute mile |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/articles/crewlj0e709o |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Ramsay |first=George |date=2025-03-19 |title=New Zealand’s Sam Ruthe, 15, becomes youngest person to run a four-minute mile |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/19/sport/sam-ruthe-four-minute-mile-new-zealand-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=CNN |language=en}}
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.{{cite web|url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/half-marathon-husband-wife-take-title-honours/ODRQUUUVG4JN3AXABXR75M5XM4/|website=The New Zealand Herald |accessdate=2 February 2025|title= Half Marathon: Husband, wife take title honours|first=Peter|last=White|date=12 April 2015}} 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.{{cite web|url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360496179/auckland-runner-sam-ruthe-15-sets-worlds-best-3000m-time-his-age-group|website=Stuff |accessdate=2 February 2025|title= Tauranga runner Sam Ruthe, 15, sets world's best 3000m time in his age group|date=21 November 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/sam-ruthe-15-catches-a-349-miler-sam-tanner-on-the-line-1039998032/|title= Sam Ruthe, 15, catches a 3:49 miler Sam Tanner on the line|accessdate=10 March 2025|website=Athletics Weekly |date=Mar 10, 2025}}
Career
Ruthe trains under Craig Kirkwood in New Zealand in a group that includes Sam Tanner.{{cite web|url= https://athleticsweekly.com/blog/sam-ruthe-15-shatters-world-middle-distance-bests-1039996984/#|title= Sam Ruthe, 15, shatters world middle-distance bests|website=Athletics Weekly |date=Feb 3, 2025 |accessdate=5 February 2025}}
=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.{{cite web|url= https://athletics.org.nz/15-year-old-sam-ruthe-smashes-nz-u17-and-u18-3000m-records/ |website=Athletics.org.nz|accessdate=2 February 2025|title= 15-Year-Old Sam Ruthe Smashes NZ U17 and U18 3000m Records|date=November 22, 2024}}
=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.{{cite web|url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/worlds-best-teen-runner-to-race-against-the-men-in-hastings/NZGL2I2QCNEONGQ7H6O4J4FQJY/|website=The New Zealand Herald |accessdate=2 February 2025|title= World's best teen runner to race against the men in Hastings|first=Doug |last=Laing|date=31 Jan 2025}}
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.{{ref|a}}{{cite web|website=The New Zealand Herald |accessdate=2 February 2025|url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/olympics/kiwi-runner-sam-ruthe-becomes-youngest-man-to-win-national-senior-athletics-title/DSQ4YVEELJA4LFK7DW2HX56NA4/|title= Kiwi runner Sam Ruthe becomes youngest man to win national senior athletics title|date=2 February 2025}}{{cite web|url= https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/540645/sam-ruthe-youngest-man-ever-to-win-national-senior-athletics-title|website=RNZ |accessdate=3 February 2025|title= Sam Ruthe youngest man ever to win national senior athletics title|date=2 February 2025}}{{cite web|url= https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/athletics/15-yr-old-youngest-win-national-senior-athletics-title|website=Otago Daily Times |accessdate=2 February 2025|date= 2 February 2025|title=
15-yr-old youngest to win national senior athletics title}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/sam-ruthe-improves-jakob-ingebrigtsens-world-age-15-best-over-1500m-1039997149/#|website=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=11 February 2025|first=Tim|last=Adams|date=10 February 2025|title= Sam Ruthe improves Jakob Ingebrigtsen's world age 15 best over 1500m}}
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.{{Cite news |last=Miles |first=Penny |date=9 March 2025 |title=Photo finish! Teenager and Olympian come up in dead heat at championships |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/544245/photo-finish-teenager-and-olympian-come-up-in-dead-heat-at-championships |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=Radio New Zealand }} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/olympics/kiwi-runner-sam-ruthe-becomes-youngest-ever-to-break-four-minute-mile/HUO2I2HZUFCNRFJOXNITV5OUYE/|title=Kiwi runner Sam Ruthe becomes youngest ever to break four-minute mile|date=19 March 2025|accessdate=19 March 2025}}{{cite web |title=ACA Mile Night Results |url=https://meets.rosterathletics.com/public/competitions/details/results?id=26367&meId=259625#title-anchor |website=Roster Athletics |access-date=19 March 2025}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/event-reports/lachlan-kennedy-beats-gout-gout-in-epic-200m-1039998564/|website=Athletics Weekly|date=29 March 2025|accessdate=29 March 2025|title= Lachlan Kennedy beats Gout Gout in epic 200m|first=Tim|last=Adams}}{{cite web |title=Maurie Plant Men's 1500m Results |url=https://meets.rosterathletics.com/public/competitions/details/results?id=25838&meId=263281#title-anchor |publisher=Roster Athletics |access-date=29 March 2025}}
Notes
References
{{reflist}}
{{Footer New Zealand NC 1500 m men}}
{{Footer New Zealand NC 3000 m men}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruthe, Sam}}
Category:New Zealand male long-distance runners
Category:21st-century New Zealand sportsmen