Niels Laros surprised even himself with his impressive time in the English mile at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene, USA. Laros shaved almost three seconds off his previous Dutch record.
“I’m just amazed at how the race went. Because it’s my first of the season, I didn’t have that much confidence,” the twenty-year-old athlete said shortly after his strong performance. The English mile is just over 1,609 meters.
“My coach said beforehand, ‘Let’s see, winning here is a miracle. But you’re a special guy, so I wouldn’t be surprised.’ So he was right.”
In Eugene, Laros overtook the two runners in front after a long final sprint and won the race in a Dutch record of 3:45.94. “I knew I could get close to this time, but it’s all about the win. That’s what counts,” Laros said.
The athlete from Oosterhout, who finished sixth in the 1,500 meters at the Olympic Games last year, is developing rapidly and is making a strong impression on the highest stage. He recorded the seventh-fastest time ever on the distance in Eugene.
The world record in the English mile is held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco. He achieved a time of 3:43.13 in 1999.