Quax joins father in sub-4 minute club

Theo Quax continues to follow in the footsteps of his famous father on the athletics track, with the Kiwi youngster joining his dad in an exclusive club at the weekend.

The 20-year-old Northern Arizona University athlete, and son of Kiwi track legend the late Dick Quax, ran the first sub-4 minute mile of his career at the Husky Classic indoor meet in Seattle, Washington, when he came home second in 3min 58.13sec, behind Oregon’s James Ward (3:57.43).

Quax’s PB for the distance ranks him 11th among US colleges.

He and Dick now become New Zealand’s first father-son combination to have run sub-four miles and the 12th globally to have knocked off the special feat

Fellow Kiwi college athlete and hot young prospect Sam

Tanner (Washington) Theo Quax also featured in the Washington mile, and looked well on pace for a sub-4min finish before he tripped with 200 metres remaining.

Quax did well to avoid the fallout from that tumble.

Athletics New Zealand head distance coach Steve Willis lauded Quax’s latest achievement on the US college scene where Kiwis continued to excel in positive situations.

‘‘We’ve got a good relationship with a few key schools in the US and it’s paying off,’’ he told Stuff. ‘‘It often takes a while for these guys to transition, but it’s a great way for some athletes to really develop their careers.

‘‘It makes it a bit easier when you’ve got a good relationship with the programme, balancing the athlete’s NCAA responsibilities with things like compiling points to qualify for major events.’’

Quax’s fellow Kiwi Northern Arizona team-mate Geordie Beamish also continues to make his mark on the American college scene, smashing his 3000m PB by 12 seconds at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational.

Beamish, a senior, finished third in the race won by his NA team-mate Luis Grijalva. Beamish finished in 7:44.67 while Grijalva clocked 7:43.73.