James Ford previously held the New Zealand U19 of 2m 23.48s, set in Monaco in 2024, while the U20 record had been standing since 2007 when Carl Mackenzie ran 2m 22.00s in Wellington.
Frenchman Josué Le Cadre was second in Tauranga in a time of 2m 20.31s, while fellow countryman Felix Rivet was third in 2m 22.02s.
Ruthe has been in scintillating form over the past 12 months, highlighted by breaking two records at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships in Hastings.
He broke the 1500m record by eight seconds, previously held by Commonwealth Games runner Richard Potts since 1989, before setting a new benchmark in the 800m discipline.
Last March, aged 15, the Tauranga Boys’ College student became the youngest person to run a sub-four-minute mile, becoming the 49th New Zealander to break the milestone target in Auckland, in 3m 58.35s.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.