Athletics: Willis fades to third in Boston

New Zealand's Nick Willis. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand's Olympic 1500m silver medallist Nick Willis failed to extend his Boston indoor grand prix winning streak when fading to third in the mile today.

Willis had trumped his rivals for the previous two years at Boston but the pre-race favourite could not complete a notable hat-trick after he was overtaken in the home straight.

Instead, American Russell Brown won the race in a time of three minutes 54.81 seconds for a surprise victory over compatriot Garrett Heath, who managed 3min 55.87sec, personal best times for both runners.

Willis made an aggressive early move, which marked a significant change in his usual tactics.

"I kept pushing it and I was proud of my race," he said.

- NZPA