American Nico Young delivered a standout performance at the Oslo Diamond League on Thursday night, winning the men’s 5000 metres in a stunning personal best of 12:45.27.
Young’s victory was historic in its own right ,the fastest time ever recorded by an American over 5000m outdoors and his first win in a Diamond League meeting. Also catching attention in Oslo was British runner George Mills, who smashed Mo Farahs British 5000m Record. Mills, a former European U23 champion, is the son of ex-Leeds United and England football defender Danny Mills.
Final Results
- Nico Young (USA) – 12:45.27 PB
- Birhanu Mehary (ETH) – 12:45.93 PB
- Kumsa Girma (ETH) – 12:46.41 PB
- George Mills (GBR) – 12:46.59 NR
- Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) – 12:46.82
- Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) – 12:47.67
- Graham Blanks (USA) – 12:48.20 PB
- Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) – 12:49.07
- Mezgebu Sime (ETH) – 12:49.80 PB
- Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (SUI) – 12:50.87
- Jacob Krop (KEN) – 12:51.16
- Birhanu Balew (BRN) – 12:56.45
- Cooper Teare (USA) – 12:57.05
- Nicholas Kipkorir (KEN) – 13:06.92
- Dida Gemechu (ETH) – 13:15.91
- McSweyn Stewart ( AUS) – 13:16.20
Young broke the American record in the men’s outdoor 5000m, previously held by Grant Fisher, who clocked 12:46.96 in 2022. The 22-year-old had come into Oslo with a modest outdoor personal best of 13:11.30 from 2022 — a time that had kept him outside the top 30 all-time American performers. His breakthrough in Oslo not only shattered that mark by more than 25 seconds but also placed him third on the all-time U.S. list, behind only Fisher and indoor record-holder Galen Rupp.
The former NCAA standout had hinted at his potential earlier this year when he ran 12:51.56 indoors in Boston on March 2, a performance that ranked him fifth on the all-time global indoor list and second among Americans behind Fisher’s 12:44.09 indoor world record.
His victory in Oslo marks a series of significant milestones. His first Diamond League appearance, his first career win on international soil, and only the third time an American man has ever won a Diamond League 5000m. The previous two were Ben True in 2015 and Paul Chelimo in 2018.
The men’s 5000m world record remains in the hands of Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, who ran 12:35.36 in 2020, but Young’s performance in Oslo underscores a new chapter in American distance running.
George Mills
Meanwhile, British middle-distance runner George Mills drew attention with a fourth-place finish and a new national record of 12:46.59. He broke Mo Farahs British record of 12:53.11 which he set in 2011.
Mills is indeed the son of Danny Mills, a former Leeds United and England defender. A fact that adds an intriguing layer to his sporting story. The elder Mills was part of the England squad that reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.