'Ruined the race': Aussie athletics phenom in 'terrible' incident on global stage

Yahoo

19-07-2025

Aussie athletics sensation Cam Myers had his 1500m race ruined at the Diamond League meeting in London on Saturday night after a rival runner's fall brought him down. But Jess Hull and Rose Davies left fans gobsmacked as they smashed their own national and Oceania records.
The 19-year-old Myers hasn't been garnering as much attention as fellow Aussie teenager Gout Gout, but his feats over the last few months have been just as impressive. Athletics fans were eagerly-anticipating his run in London on Saturday night, but were left sorely disappointed after a terrible mishap.
The Canberran looked ready to take the next step as he moved into contention on the final lap of the metric mile. Sitting in fourth place, Myers was about to make his move when he clipped the heel of British runner George Mills in front of him, bringing his rival down. Myers appeared to be trying to switch from the inside of Mills to the outside, and accidentally tripped him up.
Mills' fall also brought Myers and Robert Farken down, and they had to limp to the line well behind the rest of the pack. Myers has enjoyed a stunning year in the senior ranks having finished runner-up in Oslo's Dream Mile, but had to settle for 13th place on Saturday in 4:24.03.
The Aussie was left to wonder what might have been as another teenage superstar - Kenya's Phanuel Koech - won in 3:28.92. It was the fastest time ever seen in the UK.
While some thought Myers was unlucky, track and field coach Luke Parkinson said the Aussie only had himself to blame for a tactical blunder. "Why did Cam Myers go to the inside just before the final bend when he was picking off runners with every stride?" he wrote on social media.
"He clipped Mills' heels and ultimately ruined the race for himself and at least 3 other men. Hugging the rail on every bend is for time trials - back yourself - pass on the outside…there are 7 lanes with no traffic in them."
Why did Cam Myers go to the inside just before the final bend when he was picking off runners with every stride? He clipped Mills heels and ultimately ruined the race for himself and at least 3 other men. Hugging the rail on every bend is for time trials- back yourself- pass…
— Luke LRPS (@LukeLRPS) July 19, 2025
Terrible luck for Cam Myers in the 1500m at the London Diamond League. He was well-positioned in fourth on the final bend when George Mills fell in front of him, leaving him nowhere to go.
— Nicole Jeffery (@nicolejeffery) July 19, 2025
Awful luck for Cam Myers in the 1500m. Takes a fall sitting fourth with 200 to go. GB's George Mills trips and the Aussie prodigy goes down with him. Myers had surged through the field with 500 to go, and was only a few paces off the leader when he fell. Jogs it in. Not his day.
— Zachary Gates (@_zacharygates) July 19, 2025
Jess Hull and Rose Davies break own national records
Thankfully it wasn't all doom and gloom for the Aussies, with Jess Hull smashing her own Australian and Oceanian mile records, and Rose Davies obliterating her own national and Oceanian 5000m marks. Hull and high-jumper Eleanor Patterson grabbed runners-up spots at the London Stadium, while Davies finished third.
Hull lowered her own Oceanian mark to 4:13.68 as former double world champ Gudaf Tsegay set a new Ethiopian national record in 4min 11.88sec. "I had a lot of distractions, but was just trying to zone into the leader in the second half, but it was a solid run," said Hull.
"Coming in, we were thinking I could run a national record, and I did. I would have liked to have been a little closer to 4:10, but I felt very strong for 4:13. A lot of records fell today, so it was a pretty special to be a part of that race."
Davies clocked 14:31.45 for third behind the Ethiopian duo of Medina Eisa (14:30.57) and Fantaye Belayneh (14:30.90). But the Newcastle product eclipsed her previous national mark of 14:40.83 - set in China in April - by more than nine seconds.
Georgia Griffith finished fifth in a huge new personal best of 14:32.82 to also smash the former record. "I was ready for a big race and felt like I responded to the challenge today," said Davies. "My expectations were a PB (personal best) and I have achieved that so I am really pleased."
Patterson and Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh both had an off-day in the high jump, allowing Briton Morgan Lake to win with a 1.96m leap. "I am very honoured to be known as 'Miss Consistent' as it reflects my aim to be consistently jumping well," said Patterson. "Today doesn't quite match up to it - but if 1.93 is a bad day and second I can't be too mad about it."
Remarkable from Jessica Hull in London. The Olympic medallist takes down her own Australian mile record — the 4:15.34 she ran almost two years ago to the day — as she clocks 4:13.68 for second. The winner, Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay, runs 4:11.88, the second-fastest time in history. pic.twitter.com/B3G3DnavZe
— Zachary Gates (@_zacharygates) July 19, 2025
WHAT CAN'T SHE DO? 🤩After a see-sawing last few laps at the London Diamond League, Rose Davies has obliterated her own Australian 5000m record, slicing almost nine seconds off the mark to stop the clock at 14:31.45 and finish on the podium in third.. Another fearless run from… pic.twitter.com/vsTXVAhTfB
— Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) July 19, 2025
Australians on fire in London. At this point Hull is a machine. But also Davies, Griffith, Hollingsworth, Patterson, and Holder (who is a couple of execution tweaks away from a World Champs medal). Staggering. 🔥🔥🇦🇺
— Luke LRPS (@LukeLRPS) July 19, 2025
Having guts pays off 🤩After completely disregarding the pacer and going out in 59.93, Gudaf Tsegay held off a strong contest from Jess Hull over the closing laps to win the mile in London in 4:11.88.Tsegay becomes the second-fastest miler in history, only behind Faith… pic.twitter.com/3txHnXRcKY
— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) July 19, 2025
with AAP