Shock as Aussie prodigy Cam Myers fails to qualify for 1500m world championships semi-final

It would normally be very good news that Australian middle-distance tyro Cameron Myers ran much like the great Jakob Ingebrigtsen on his long-awaited senior global championships debut.

But the bad news is that both men were eliminated in the opening round of the 1500m early on Sunday at the world championships in Tokyo.

Myers has drawn comparisons to the Norwegian superstar ever since becoming the second-youngest person to run a sub-four minute mile at the 2023 Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne aged just 16.

The only runner to have done it younger — by just nine days — was Ingebrigtsen, who already owns two Olympic golds and two world titles at the age of 24.

After being controversially overlooked for selection at last year’s Paris Olympics, Myers had been enjoying a strong Diamond League campaign in the lead-up to the world titles.

But after finishing sixth in Silesia, Poland in mid-August, the 19-year-old passed out on a run the following day, an issue he put down to dehydration and bad nutrition.

With only the top six runners in each 1500m heat advancing to the semis in Tokyo, Myers raced in the middle of the pack in the early stages.

But he was unable to go with the leaders in the final lap, trailing home eighth in 3:42:75 in a slow heat won by Paris Olympic champ Cole Hocker from the US in 3:41:88.

“I unfortunately got ill last week and haven’t had a very good run,” said Myers, who claimed silver in this event at last year’s world junior championships in Peru.

“Everyone going into championships isn’t going to be 100 per cent.

“It’s obviously tactically a lot different, I just wasn’t able to execute a race like I normally execute it.

“I went through 800, I should have been jogging but I was struggling to run 64 (second laps).

“That’s not even the pace that (Australian 1500m women’s Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull) runs.

“There is obviously something wrong with my body at the moment and I just have to get that right.”

Ingebrigtsen has battled a significant Achilles tendon injury in 2025 and he too looked a shadow of his normal self in the final heat, finishing eighth in 3:37:84.

Fellow Norwegian Narve Gilje Nordas was the fastest overall qualifier in 3:35.90.

Australia won’t be represented in the men’s semis on Monday after Myers’ teammates Jude Thomas and Adam Spencer were also eliminated.