Guide to Pro Runner Form.

The 20-year-old Netherlands runner appeared from almost nowhere in the final 100 meters of the men’s Bowerman Mile on Saturday at the 50th annual Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field, stealing a commanding race from Yared Nuguse to win in 3:45.94 and etch his name into the history books.

With Nuguse straining over the final strides—the result of a wire-to-wire race that saw him gap the leaders by the halfway mark—Laros saw a minimal opening on the rail and took it, turning his head in the final wisps to stare down Nuguse, who followed a hundredth of a second later.

The sold out Hayward Field crowd of just over 12,600 was in near silence as both men lunged at the line, leaving it up to a review. It bears repeating: The closest anyone had gotten to that world record.

Azeddine Habz, who positioned himself to Nuguse’s shoulder midway through, fell to third in 3:46.65, while Cole Hocker, The Stats Behind Cooper Lutkenhaus’s Race.

History had taught us that anything was possible in the men’s Bowerman Mile, even if there was no exact DNA for a perfect race. Heading into Saturday’s outing at Hayward Field, all the components were in place to create a version we’ve never encountered before. There was plenty of discourse on whether a potential world record—that 26-year-old 3:43.13 mark held by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj—could go down in the right setting.

Laros had come from out-of-nowhere Health & Injuries when Jakob Ingebrigtsen, defending two previous titles, went for his third and clocked a meet record of 3:43.73—just six-tenths off El Guerroj’s all-time mark. That record would survive another day. Ingebrigtsen was initially slated to race Saturday, but scratched due to injury.

Laros had finished sixth on the world stage in Paris, though he may not have been in anyone’s mind when it came to building a pre-race favorite—and in fact, his 2025 season hadn’t even included a 1,500 meter race yet.

“I just want to keep mixing it with the best,” Laros said after the race. “I showed in Paris that I belong there and now I think everyone knows. I’m excited to be battling for medals, and I’m still young so I’m excited for what’s ahead.”