Sam Ruthe seventh at Sound Invite as teen chases Commonwealth Games qualifying time

Teen sensation Sam Ruthe has proved he can compete with the world’s best middle-distance runners in the biggest race of his life.

Ruthe finished seventh in the Sound Invite event in North Carolina, completing the race in 3m 52.46s, despite being unable to replicate his record-breaking mile in Boston two weeks ago.

The race was won by 1500m Olympic champion Cole Hocker, who broke the American record in 3m 45.94s, the second fastest indoor time in history.

Ruthe’s time was just shy of the B (3m 51.80s) or A (3m 50.40s) performance standard set by Athletics New Zealand to warrant Commonwealth Games selection.

Earlier this month, the 16-year-old ran 3m 48.88s at the John Thomas Terrier Classic indoor meet at Boston University, rewriting the history books as the fastest-ever mile by a New Zealander and beating the record Sir John Walker set in Oslo in 1982.

However, Ruthe has until May 3 to achieve at least the B standard, although final approval for Athletics New Zealand’s allocated 18 quota spots sits with the New Zealand Olympic Committee. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow start on July 23 and end on August 2.

Despite the outcome, Ruthe can hold his head high as the race had the toughest competition he’d ever faced.

Cole Hocker is the current 1500m Olympic champion. Photo / AFP

Along with Hocker was American outdoor champion Cooper Teare, former American road champion Vincent Ciattei and Mexican champion Eduardo Herrera – all fulltime athletes.

Fellow New Zealander Sam Tanner did not finish.

Ruthe was third heading into the final lap but ran out of energy as he got trapped and was forced to run wide in the early stages of the race, meaning he was covering extra distance.

It was his fourth time running a sub-four-minute mile, which he first achieved last year, becoming the youngest person to do so.

Ruthe was set to race in the 3000m race at Boston University next week, but his father, Ben Ruthe, has confirmed to the Herald they will consider their options in order for him to achieve the B standard time.

The Commonwealth Games was not on Sam Ruthe’s radar until his historic run in Boston, with the main focus heading into 2026 being the Under-20 World Championships, scheduled to take place days later.

Last week, the Ruthes confirmed to Newstalk ZB that Sam Ruthe now intends to compete at this year’s Commonwealth Games, as well as the Under-20 World Championships, if he makes the selection.

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.