Dage Minors toppled a 24-year-old national record on the weekend to show that he is rounding into top form in the days leading to the Commonwealth Games.

The middle-distance runner completed the 1,500 metres at the Trafford Grand Prix on Saturday in 3min 41.24sec to lower the mark set by Terrance Armstrong in Montreal, Canada, in 1998 by seven tenths of a second.

Minors placed seventh out of 14 in the A Division, the highest-rated of three classifications set by host British Milers Track Club.

“The race was good; I was excited to finally race a 1500 again,” Minors told The Royal Gazette. “It’s been about a month where I have kind of been training in the lab, so I was buzzing and really itching to get after it.

“Like always I just raced to win. Had a few mishaps throughout the race where tactically I could have done a bit better. But I walked away with a new national record.”

The race was won by Phil Norman in 3:39.89, with James Young second in 3:40.03 and Ian Crowe-Wright third in 3:40.21.

Minors, 26, has enjoyed success either side of a bout with Covid-19 in May.

He achieved a superb third-place finish in the 1,500 final in the USATF Bermuda Games at the Flora Duffy Stadium in April, which was followed up with victory in the 800 metres at the Battle Road Club Track Meet in Massachusetts in June.

“I feel pretty good; probably the fittest I have ever felt and probably for as long,” Minors added.

“I have been feeling like, not on cloud nine, but I have been in a good place since April. Just doing the right things — taking care of myself, training hard, staying focused and trying not let too many things bring me down, distract me.

“It’s been a very great year so far. Hoping to keep the momentum going, keep adding on it and stay grounded.“

Minors is building towards the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8, when he is competing in the 800 and 1,500.

He will continue his preparations today in the 800 at the Jyväskylä Motonet Grand Prix in Finland where conditions could prove to be trying.

“The weather here in Finland is supposed to be bad, so I don’t really know if times will be relevant,” Minors said. “But I will try to just finalise some fine-tuning on the tactics because Commonwealth Games is championship racing.

“Those races sometimes come down to who tactically survives, so tomorrow will be an opportunity to get that right.”