Australia's Cameron Myers becomes youngest ever to win prestigious mile race in New York City

Australian athletics prodigy Cameron Myers has become the youngest in history to win the Wanamaker Mile, one of the most prestigious and competitive running races in the world.

Myers, 19, won the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York City on Monday (AEDT) in three minutes, 47.57 seconds (3:47.57).

Among the highly acclaimed runners the Canberra product overcame was American Yared Nuguse, the bronze medallist in the 1500m at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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Nuguse finished second in 3:48.31 as fellow American Hobbs Kessler took third in 3:48.68.

Nuguse was hunting a fourth consecutive Wanamaker Mile title, but Myers surged into the lead with 400 metres to go and couldn't be stopped.

The victory rounds out a phenomenal indoor campaign in the US, in which Myers raced three times for three wins.

His tour began last month with a mile victory in Seattle in which he beat second place by just shy of five seconds, clocking 3:49.81.

Then came a win over 3000m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, where he stopped the clock at 7:27.57 to finish more than three seconds ahead of second place.

In that run in Boston, he broke Stewart McSweyn's national 3000m record and Ky Robinson's national short-track 3000m record.

Asked where his Wanamaker Mile victory ranked among the biggest wins of his career, Myers replied: "I think it's the biggest ... This and the 3000m last week were probably the big ones for me."

He underlined the importance of patience.

"I'm off to a better start than I was last year and I know I'm in a better spot," Myers said.

"I think it's just another year of developing. I really don't try to rush things; I just let it come to me. I know I'm getting faster, I know I'm aerobically fitter. Everyone's on a different trajectory, and progression is never going to be linear."

Myers, a prolific record breaker as a junior, has had a mindset change.

"Records, they're going to go," he said.

"The thing is people are always going to run fast.

"I think I switched my mentality to just try and win things. People can't take those away from you. The medals are what we do it for, and it's great that the last three races I've done I've managed to win."

Earlier this summer, Myers was set to run at the world cross-country championships in Tallahassee, Florida as a member of Australia's mixed 4x2km relay team, but he pulled out due to medical reasons.

Despite the withdrawal of Myers, a team featuring Oliver Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey and Jessica Hull, who ran in that order, captured gold.