Havelock North runner Geordie Beamish has pulled off an upset mile win at the NCAA indoor track and field championships in the United States.
NCAA mile winner Geordie Beamish speaks to media after the race. Photo: YouTube / Fair Use / letsrundotcom
In his first appearance at the US national collegiate championships, competing for Northern Arizona University, the 22-year-old clocked a 53.58sec final 400m to take a 4min 07.69sec win in Birmingham, Alabama.
Beamish matched pre-race favourite Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin, last year's NCAA 1500m champion, stride for stride going into the last lap before pulling away on the final turn.
A former New Zealand secondary schools champion, Beamish's mile best is a sedate 4:06.94, although he has clocked 3:41.87 over 1500m.
He had originally targeted the 3000m for the prestigious NCAA championships, but a foot injury three weeks ago meant he was unable to post a qualifying time.
"I never even intended on running the mile at this meet - I was hoping to qualify in the 3km, but it didn't pan out and so we ended up in the mile," he told media afterwards.
"I had to make the most of it."