Aussie Teen Star Cameron Myers Shatters Global Under-18 Mile Record in New York City

Australian running sensation Cameron Myers has once again etched his name in the record books, clinching his second global under-age record with a stellar performance in a mile race held in New York City on Sunday (AEDT).

The 18-year-old from Canberra dominated the men’s mile at the Dr Sander Scorcher meet, clocking in at 3:53.12. This remarkable time surpasses the previous world under-20 indoor, or “short track”, record of 3:55.02 set by American German Fernandez back in 2009.

In addition to his record-setting achievement, Myers also obliterated the previous meet record, which was held by British-Australian Adam Fogg at 3:53.55 from last year, thanks to his wire-to-wire victory.

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Myers made his mark on the global stage earlier in 2023, when he recorded a time of 3:33.26 in the 1500m at Poland’s Silesia Diamond League, thus claiming the under-18 record for the metric mile in his debut at the Diamond League.

While Myers did not achieve a qualifying time for the world championships during the Dr Sander Scorcher meet on Sunday (AEDT), the talented teen is set for another chance as he competes in a mile at New York City’s Millrose Games on February 9 (AEDT).

Despite his record-breaking achievement, Myers expressed disappointment over not meeting the world championship qualifying standard of 3:50.00.

“While it’s fantastic to break the world under-20 indoor record, my primary aim was to run faster, so I can’t say I’m entirely pleased with my performance,” Myers admitted.

“I need to focus on pushing harder at the start.” 

Racing on a 200-metre track, as opposed to the standard 400-metre, posed a unique challenge for Myers as he had never previously trained on such a “short track”.

“It was certainly a different experience,” he reflected. “The first few laps were about getting used to the layout. I’m confident I’ll be ready for the next race in two weeks.” 

Myers is slated to compete in the 3000m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on February 3 (AEDT), as confirmed by his manager, James Templeton, to Wide World of Sports.

He aspires to make his senior debut for Australia at the upcoming world championships in September, set to take place in Tokyo.

Although he qualified for selection in the 1500m for the Paris Olympics, only three athletes could be chosen. The selectors from Athletics Australia opted for Adam Spencer, Oliver Hoare, and Stewart McSweyn.

Spencer also participated in the mile at the Dr Sander Scorcher meet, finishing eighth with a time of 3:58.04.