Source: Radio New Zealand
Sam Ruthe Photosport
Teenage running phenomenon Sam Ruthe has cast doubt over his immediate racing future after suffering a stress fracture to his lower leg.
Ruthe, who turned 17 on Sunday, posted that he’ll be “off the radar for a while”, although there was no indication whether time out will affect his preparation or availability for the Commonwealth Games in July.
On the running app Strava, he indicated the injury caught him by surprise.
“It wasn’t a running related injury and was caused by lateral movement activity like football, so I will be off the radar for a bit while it heals,” Ruthe said.
A fibula stress fracture might typically take six to 12 weeks of recovery time but, crucially, requires rest and low-impact activity.
That could affect Ruthe’s buildup for the Games in Glasgow, starting on 23 July, followed by the world under-20 championships in the United States in early August.
He was also scheduled to contest the mile at a Diamond League event in early July – the Prefontaine Classic.
Sam Ruthe celebrates after winning the mile at the John Thomas Terrier Classic indoors meet at Boston University, 31 January, 2026 (US time). Supplied/ Athletics NZ – Aaron Bui
Ruthe has stunned the athletics community with a series of blistering performances over the past year, knocking off numerous national and world age group records.
In January, he broke Sir John Walker’s long-standing national mile record when he clocked 3min 48.88sec at an indoor meet in Boston.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
