Alan Webb
Photo by Erik R. BishoffTwo weeks ago, Alan Webb ran a 3:30.54 in a 1500 meter race in France, the fastest so far this year. Yesterday, he ran the fastest mile this year and broke the American record by running 3:46.91 at the Atletiek Vlaanderenmeet in Belgium. There were less than 1000 people there to see the race.

Webb is having a great year, having already set some fantastic marks in the 800m as well as the 1500m earlier in the season and winning a few meets. Steve Scott, who set the previous mile record of 3:47.69 in 1982, was not surprised that his record was broken.

“I want to personally congratulate Alan,” Scott said. “I anticipated it being broken. After his 1:45 and his 3:30, you knew he was capable of it. It was just a matter of having the right pace and conditions. Even if conditions weren’t perfect, he’s so strong, I knew he could do it. I had a prediction of 3:46.5 for him.

“I’m happy that it was Alan who broke it, and I believe at the end of the day, when all is said and done, that people will consider him the greatest distance runner America has ever had. He has such range, he’s so young and he’s accomplished so much. I have nothing to be ashamed of, losing the record to him.”

The USATF has published a transcript of excerpts from the teleconference with Webb after the run on their website.

Update: There are also videos available of the race itself and his post race interview.

(Sources: USATF – LA Times)