Ollie smashes mile record
Ollie Hoare is likely to start favourite for next month’s Commonwealth Games 1500m after smashing the Australian mile record in Norway.
The Trinity old boy recorded 3.47:48 at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo, slashing 0.89 seconds off the mark set by Stewart McSweyn at the same venue last year.
The 25-year-old was the only runner to challenge Norway’s home hero Jakob Ingebrigtsen before the Olympic 1500m champion pulled clear down the home straight.
Hoare, whose time puts him 13th on the all-time mile list, said: “This event for Australians has seen a lot of records set there; it’s just a special place and tradition.
“For me to go out there to represent and continue that is an absolute privilege.
“It was pretty intimidating but also awesome to be a part of.
“I tried to put pressure on Ingebrigtsen but he’s a lot stronger than me right now. I’m really happy with that but there is still work to do.”
Hoare smashed his previous personal best of 3:50.65.
He has returned to his training base in Boulder, Colorado, to prepare for the World Championships in Oregon, before heading to England for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July.
Fellow Trinitarian Rohan Browning also competed in Oslo, finishing seventh in the 100m in a time of 10.28 seconds.
At the Commonwealth Games he is likely to again face the first five place-getters in Oslo – Canada’s Olympic bronze medallist Andre de Grasse, Briton Reece Prescod, South African Akani Simbine, Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati and Sri Lanka’s Yupun Abeykoon.
