Willis third in last race before Olympics

Beijing Olympic silver medal winner Nick Willis has smashed his New Zealand 1500-metres record, running 3min 30.35sec at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Saturday morning (NZT), in his last race before the London Olympics.

The race was won by Beijing Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop from Kenya in the world's fastest time for 2012 of 3min 28.88sec, followed by fellow Kenyan Nixon Chepseba in 3min 29.77sec.

Willis, who has been upbeat about his form ahead of the Olympics, took 1.44 seconds off the time he ran at the same meeting in Monaco last year.

His time is also an Oceania record, beating the 3min 31.06secs set by Australian Ryan Gregson in 2010.

The 29-year-old US-based athlete has been experimenting with a more aggressive approach to racing ahead of the Olympics.

He has said that he must go one better in the 1500m at the London Games to match his unforgettable experience in Beijing in 2008.

"I would love to experience the joy and jubilation that I experienced in Beijing but I feel like the only way I will get that taste is if I win gold," he told NZN Newswire earlier this month.