Hobbs Kessler is only 20 years old and has accomplished great things on the track so far in his young career. On Sunday, he ran his way into the record books on a big-time stage on the roads.
Kessler took home win in the men’s mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 on Sunday, breaking the world record in the event with his time of 3:56.19 in the process.
“I am fit,” Kessler said in his post-race interview with Reuters. “I wanted nothing but the win, so I went for it. I would say the road mile is a very American event — Sam and I are very experienced in the event, possibly running the mile maybe 10 times this year — and I am very proud of Sam and very proud of myself.”
Kessler’s world record winning time was five seconds faster than the previous record that was set earlier this year by Sam Prakel, who finished with the bronze medal in the race.
The road mile became an official world record discipline as of September 1, 2023, with races taking place as early as January 1, 2023 receiving consideration for the inaugural record. This is not to be confused with the track mile world record (3:43.13), which has been held by Hicham El Guerrouj since 1999. Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Yared Nuguse nearly bested the track mile record earlier this year at the Prefontaine Classic.
Kessler turned pro in 2021 after a successful high school career, forgoing college eligibility. He currently trains as part of the Very Nice Track Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and holds the national record in the boys 1500m with a time of 3:34.36.
