OSLO, NORWAY: George Mills broke the long-standing British 5,000-m record at the Oslo Diamond League after 14 years. He placed fourth with a time of 12:46.59, and he also smashed Mo Farah’s previous British record of 12:53.11.
With this achievement, Mills expressed: “The national record was definitely one of the things I came for… The race was stacked and billed as a world record attempt, so to be in the mix was important.”
“Looking at the time, I came here wanting to run a national record and attack the European record, just missed that one, but I’m proud of how I did today.”
The athlete is now confident as he hopes to win Britain’s first men’s world or Olympic 5,000-m medal since 2016. He stated: “I don’t know [how to win a medal at a world championship] because I’ve never done it… but me and my team will work as hard as we possibly can to achieve that goal and put myself in the best position possible.“
“My target for the season is a global medal, and this shows I am in the right space,” he added.
American Nico Young clinched first place and also set a personal best of 12:45.27. Biniam Mehary and Kuma Girma came in second and third place, respectively. Mills, who competed for Team GB at the Paris Olympics, was leading the race but was overtaken in the final lap. With his recent feat, Mills believes that this was a step closer toward his goal of winning a gold medal at the World Championships.
In a social media post, Mills shared his new milestone to his fans with a caption: “12:46.59… British 5000-m Record… 2nd All Time European… Big moment, building momentum.”
“Couldn’t do it without my team, family, and friends, so much work has gone into this from so many people, cannot thank them enough… we will keep building… many more goals to accomplish.”
Netizens commented on the post and remarked: “Just Incredible!! Can’t wait for next one!! 💪🏻💙”, “What an achievement👏👏👏”, “Congrats George, an incredible performance 🔥🙌🏻”, “Just Brilliant always believed in your ability. Congratulations George👏”, and “Incredible performance George..Many many congratulations on a superb night in Oslo 👏🥂”
George Mills has been having a great and strong season so far. He won silver in the 3000-m event at the European Athletics Indoor Championships and also went home with gold in the 3000-m event at the British Indoor Athletics Championships.