By 3 News online staff
By his own admission, something went wrong in the final of the 1500 metres at the London 2012 Olympics – he just didn’t have the legs to drive to the finish line when the pace lifted.
But now Nick Willis has picked himself up from the canvas to nearly break John Walker’s 32 year New Zealand record.
In the Diamond League 1000 metres in Linz, Austria, Willis finished third in a time of 2:16:58 but only 1/100 of a second outside of Walker’s mark and faster than Peter Snell’s handheld time of 2:16:6 set in 1964.
Kenyan Benson Suerei won the race in a time of 2:16:52.
"It was good to be back racing, and I'm happy to have a fast hit out before the Lausanne Diamond League 1500m in three days,” Willis was reported as saying.
3 News