60 years ago on this day, legendary runner Jim Ryun from Wichita East High School achieved another feat never seen in the United States.
Ryun crossed the finish line with a state-record time of 3:58.3 in the mile-run on May 15, 1965, at the Kansas high school state meet at Veterans Field, on the Wichita State campus at 21st & Hillside.
Ryun had broken four minutes in the mile-run the previous year. In 1964 as a 17-year-old junior in high school, he'd competed at the Compton Invitational near Los Angeles, running a 3-minute, 59-second mile, becoming the first high school athlete to break the four-minute barrier.
But that had come against a world-class field. Ryun was nationally known as an up-and-coming American talent, and he finished eighth place in that race.
In his senior season at East in 1965, Ryun was back to running against high school competition, not being pushed as he would against world-class and nationally elite collegiate runners.
But on May 15, 1965, Ryun took the track at Veterans Field with a plan to break four minutes again. He finished in 3:58.3, becoming the first high schooler in America to crack four minutes in a mile against only high school competition.
Ryun is still the only athlete in the U.S. to run a sub-four-minute mile at a high school state meet.