In an impressive display at the renowned 5th Avenue Mile, Cathal Doyle of Ireland was the frontrunner until British athlete Josh Kerr surged to the finish. In its 43rd edition held last Sunday, Kerr clinically won the race in a record-breaking time of 3:44.3, shattering the longstanding record set at the first race in 1981. Positioned strikingly against the backdrop of New York’s iconic Manhattan cityscape, the race marks the conclusion of the season for middle-distance contenders. Kerr completed his emphatic win mere days after he secured fifth place in Zurich’s Diamond League over 1,500 meters.
The form Kerr showed in Paris, where he seized silver, was in full swing here. He obliterated the previous course record of 3:47.52 set by Sydney Maree in 1981, by a significant three seconds. Doyle, an Olympic semi-finalist in the 1,500m event in Paris via the repechage heat, was at the head of the pack mid-race, where he secured a bonus having clocked 1:57.0. Kerr then launched his game-changer thrust, while Doyle’s strenuous early pace might have kept him from a higher final spot. Nonetheless, he managed to clinch an eighth position in 3:52.1, a time strikingly close to his personal best in the track mile set earlier this summer, 3:52.06.
In the women’s elite competition, Sarah Healy who bagged the second spot last year returned. She managed to maintain a competitive position till midway but eventually settled at sixth place clocking 4:20.07. American athlete Karissa Schweizer victoriously finished the race in 4:14.8, narrowly beating Kenya’s Dorcas Ewoi’s 4:17.3.
The history of this event counts only two Irish champions, namely Frank O’Mara in 1985 and Sinéad Delahunty, who was victorious in 1995.