Mary Cain Smashes American High School 1500m Record

by LetsRun.com
July 15, 2012

Move over Jordan Hasay. At the IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, 16 year old Mary Cain ran 4:11.01 to finish 6th and smash Jordan Hasay's high school American 1500m record of 4:14.50.

Cain, a junior to be at Bronxville High School, had flirted with Hasay's high school record twice previously this summer. She ran 4:14.74 to win the US junior championships last month, and ran 4:14.77 on Friday to qualify for the final at World Juniors.

Despite smashing the record, Cain was only sixth in the race won by 18 year old, Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon of Kenya, who earlier this year ran 4:03.82 at the Doha Diamond League, and was third at the Kenyan Olympic Trials and is on the Kenyan Olympic team (ahead of 2008 Olympic champion Nancy Langat). Kipyegon is a junior sensation, as she is also the World Youth 1500m champ and the 2011 World Junior XC Champ.

Cain is very young for the junior ranks (athletes are juniors if they are 19 and under by December 31 of this year), and has 3 more years as a junior competitor. Her next target is Suzy Favor Hamilton's American junior record of 4:09.10.

For today we can forget about Hamilton, Mary Cain is the fastest high schooler of all time. Very impressive.

*Recent NY Times Profile on Mary Cain

On the boards: MARY CAIN 4:10 (actually it was 4:11.01)
(photo Mary Cain in 800 at US Olympic Trials)

1	1424	Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon	KEN	4:04.96	(CR)
2	1618	Amela Terzic	SRB	4:07.59	(NJ)
3	1219	Senbere Teferi	ETH	4:08.28	(PB)
4	1420	Nancy Chepkwemoi	KEN	4:09.72	.
5	1273	Jessica Judd	GBR	4:09.93	(PB)
6	1733	Mary Cain	USA	4:11.01	(PB)
7	1212	Alem Embaye	ETH	4:12.92	(PB)
8	1278	Jennifer Walsh	GBR	4:12.96	(PB)
9	1606	Marua Mima	SLO	4:14.96	(PB)
10	1510	Sofia Ennaoui	POL	4:15.23	.
11	1409	Saki Yoshimizu	JPN	4:16.84	(PB)
12	1536	Luminita Achim	ROU	4:22.07	.


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