Legendary commentator Bruce McAvaney is expecting big things from Australia in the Commonwealth Games, and has made a stunning prediction for young track sensation Cameron Myers.
This year, officials of the Glasgow event decided to turn the 1500m race into a mile, the first time it has been run over that distance in 60 years.
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The ‘Commonwealth Mile’ is a tribute to the famous Miracle Mile race between Roger Bannister (the first man to break the four-minute mile) and Aussie great John Landy at the 1954 Games.
In the Miracle Mile, Landy was leading but, when he glanced over his shoulder on the final bend, Bannister snuck past him to win the gold.
As it happens this year, Scotland will have newly minted world record holder Josh Kerr in their corner when the mile final is run on Saturday, August 1.
In front of 60,000 rapturous fans at the London Stadium last Saturday, Kerr, 28, clocked a time of 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds to break the 27-year-old record of 3:43.13 set by Moroccan great Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999.
Needless to stay, the Edinburgh middle-distance ace will start a red-hot favourite for the Comm Games mile, where he will run on his home track and have the whole of Scotland behind him.
But McAvaney has just sent a big green and gold warning to Glasgow and Kerr: look out for Australia’s 20-year-old middle-distance gun.
Asked what his big prediction was for the games, McAvaney naturally turned to athletics.
“Well, I’m going to talk about athletics. I mean, all the other sports are incredible, you know, that netball rivalry, etc,” McAvaney told 7NEWS.
“But look, I think for me, the men’s mile is the big event. It could be the ‘Miracle Mile’ all over again.
“We’ve got the world record holder (Kerr), three world champions up against two Australians, in particular, but one Cam Myers.
“He’s just 20. I think he’s going to pull off a miracle and beat the world record holder and win the mile. So that’s my big event for the games.”
Myers already holds a string of Australian records and recently smashed a strong field in the famous Bowerman Mile at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, with a blistering time of 3:46.06.
In that race the young Aussie finished 0.55s ahead of 1500m Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse and also US champ Cole Hocker (who won the 1500m gold medal at the Paris Olympics).
The other Aussie who will race in the Comm Games mile is Olli Hoare.
Hoare stunned his rivals in the last Commonwealth Games in 2022, when he claimed the gold medal in the 1500m event.
“I think it’s going to be very successful (these Games),” McAvaney said.
“We’ve got a great team representing us in sports that we love and know so well. So I’m very optimistic.”
The much-loved McAvaney has just arrived in Glasgow, and was immediately recognised with his Commonwealth Games Australia Order of Merit award.
The award was announced in May this year but McAvaney was unable to attend the event, hence the delayed presentation.
“I feel very humble,” McAvaney said.
“I’ve been very fortunate, but I love the Commonwealth Games. I think most Australians do, and to be recognised in such a way in front of my wife and daughter here tonight, but also my colleagues, it’s pretty special.”
The Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony is on this Friday from 5am AEST. You can watch all the action from Glasgow live and free across the screens of Seven
