Yared Nuguse Will Run 3,000 Meters at 2024 USATF Indoor Championships
Nuguse owns the American indoor record at 7:28.24
By Jonathan Gault
The declarations for this weekend’s USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque closed on Monday night and one of the surprises is that Yared Nuguse will be contesting the 3,000 meters instead of the 1500. Dathan Ritzenhein, Nuguse’s coach at the On Athletics Club, says it has been their plan since December to run the longer distance at USAs, which begin on Friday.
Speaking to LetsRun.com on Tuesday, Ritzenhein said targeting the 3,000 has allowed them to maintain a bigger base during the winter season. On January 26 in Boston, Nuguse ran his first 5,000-meter race since 2021, clocking a pb of 13:02.09 before retaining his Wanamaker Mile title at the Millrose Games on Sunday in 3:47.83.
“I think he’s already as fit or fitter than he was [in 2023],” Ritzenhein said. “We do want to push the envelope on the strength side of things for him but also give him an opportunity to keep his base up high.”
Ritzenhein said that it is important for Nuguse, who is in his second year as a professional, to get more championship experience. That means not just USAs, but next month’s World Indoor Championships (the top two at USAs make the team), which Nuguse will run should he qualify.
Kevin Morris photo
Unlike the 1500, which includes a preliminary round, the 3,000 at World Indoors will be run as a straight final. The Olympics, of course, will have three rounds in the 1500. But Ritzenhein said he is not as concerned with Nuguse replicating the rounds of the Olympics, noting that Nuguse handled the rounds well at last year’s World Championships in Budapest. It is more important, Ritzenhein said, for Nuguse to get experience competing in a championship race in a high-pressure environment.
“Doing rounds for some people earlier in the year is not something we want to focus on as much because we want to keep his training volume high,” Ritzenhein said. “Get out there, race against the guys who have run a little bit faster than him in the 3k and test himself there.”
No American has run faster than Nuguse’s 7:28.24 American record from last year, but he will face some quality competition at USAs. Reigning US outdoor 5,000 champion Abdihamid Nur and former US outdoor 1500 champions Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare are all declared in the 3,000. The race, which will be held at 10:04 p.m. ET on Friday, will be one of the marquee events of the meet.
Globally, Nuguse’s pb ranks 10th all-time indoors, and five of the men above him on the list are currently active. World record holder Lamecha Girma (7:23.81 pb) and reigning champion Selemon Barega (7:25.82 pb) of Ethiopia are among the men who could await him at World Indoors in Glasgow on March 2. World 1500 champion Josh Kerr, who ran an indoor 2-mile world record of 8:00.76 at Millrose on Sunday, could also be added to the field. Kerr, a Scottish native, is expected to make a decision about whether he will run World Indoors this week. Ritzenhein hopes he is there.
“I would love it,” Ritzenhein said. “I have a lot of respect for Josh as a competitor and so does Yared. We definitely want to run against the world champion from last year, but there’s not going to be a shortage of guys…I’m sure him and [Kerr’s coach] Danny [Mackey] have their own plan, so whatever they decide, it didn’t really factor into our decision making.”
Not every athlete chooses to run World Indoors, particularly in an Olympic year, but Ritzenhein said that if his athletes are healthy and fit, it makes sense for them to do it. Nuguse’s OAC teammate Geordie Beamish will run the 1500 in Glasgow representing New Zealand, while Josette Andrews (USA) and Mario Garcia Romo (Spain) will try to make their country’s teams at their respective national championships this weekend. Another OAC star, Alicia Monson, will skip USAs as she is focused on an American record attempt at 10,000 meters in March.
“I don’t think we just should train all year long and race twice or three times,” Ritzenhein said. “I think you have to race the best athletes still, I’ve always been in favor of that. With the Olympic year, we have to measure our emotional efforts, but we also can’t be afraid to ever race and can’t be afraid to go out there even if we’re not completely ready.”
Talk about the US indoor entries on the LetsRun.com messageboard:
USATF Indoors: Declarations are OPEN – And Nuguse has declared for 3k
