Sam Rutte is featured on the cover of an issue previewing the World Indoor Championships in Poland.
It The latest issue of AW: represents one of the most exciting new talents in athletics. New Zealand’s Sam Rutte is only 16 years old, but he already holds the national record in the mile and has a number of other age group marks to his name.bol
His performances have attracted a lot of attention, but in an exclusive interview with him and his father Ben, while Sam admits he feels pressure, he also discusses their philosophy of putting enjoyment at the heart of his sporting journey. Ben talks about how he protects his son while helping him learn along the way.
Another talent that came onto the scene not too long ago is Phoebe Gill. His big breakthrough in 2024 happened at breakneck speed and culminated in the Olympics. He describes how the subsequent injuries allowed him to recover, process it all and return to athletics feeling “like a new athlete”.
Keely Hodgkinson first came to the world’s attention as a junior, and she has made the transition to the senior world stage with great success. After her own injuries last year, she is set to head into the upcoming world indoor championships in 800m world record form, and AW columnist Kathryn Merry writes about why the Olympic champion is in “intact” form.
Elsewhere in our extensive world indoor preview, we also hear from Josh Ho, Ditaji Kambundji, Nicola Ollislagers and Scott Lincoln, while there’s last year’s Nanjing Championships and all the key information you need.
One athlete who won’t be there is Femke Bol as she continues to work on her transition from the 400m hurdles to the 800m. Cathal Dennehy assesses his debut over the distance, while his mentor Laurent Mully discusses his approach as a topic of our coaching chats.
Verity Ockenden also explores the double standards of public opinion when it comes to what is expected of elite athletes, while there is the usual mix of opinion, training advice and opinions on footwear.
