Mphahlele takes national 1,500m indoor record in France

Ryan Mphahlele broke the national indoor 1,500m record in Miramas, France, on Friday night as he streaked to victory in 3min 36.57sec on the short track.

The previous 3:36.96 mark was set by Juan van Deventer in February 2010.

Mphahlele’s effort ranks him fifth in the world this year, and given his pace and ability to attack on the 200m laps he could be a contender at the world indoor championships in Glasgow early next month.

Last year Mphahlele and Tshepo Tshite eclipsed the 36-year-old 1,500m outdoor mark held by Johan Fourie — as the fastest South African on South African soil — when they clocked 3:32.90 and 3:32.68 respectively.

Last month US-based Adriaan Wildschutt set the national indoor mark in the 5,000m while finishing second in 12:56.76 at a meet in Boston.

That was more than 30 seconds faster than George Kusche’s 13:28.95 from December 2021.

The displays by Mphahlele and Wildschutt suggest they are on track to do well at the Paris Olympics later this year, though Mphahlele has yet to secure qualification for the showpiece scheduled to be staged from July 27 to August 11.