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Profile - John Landy
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John Landy was the first great Australian distance runner and the second man in the world to break four minutes for the Mile. Though he never won an Olympic or Commonwealth Games Gold Medal, he remains a legendary figure in the sport of athletics. |
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In early 1952, 21 year-old John Landy began to attract attention in Australia with a number of promising performances in middle distance events. Coached by Percy Cerutty since 1950, Landy had improved significantly on his previous bests and it was hoped he and a small group of other improving distance runners - Don MacMillan and Les Perry - might help raise Australian standards in these events. On 12 January, 1952, at Melbourne's Olympic Park, Landy posted a Mile run of 4-11.0 and also ran 3000m in 8-35.0 - just two seconds behind Don MacMillan's national record. He was beaten by MacMillan in the 1952 Australian Mile Championship however, and was only selected in the Helsinki Olympic team on the condition that he pay his own way. On
tour, he clocked a 4-10 Mile and a 8-54 Two-Mile run, but failed to
impress at the Olympics, being run out of his 1500m heat after a very
ordinary run of 4-14. The main benefit of his overseas tour was
to introduce him to the training ideologies of international athletes
and coaches and, on his return to Australia, he split from Percy
Cerutty and began to develop his own training routines. He
showed the benefit of these new routines in December 1952 when he
sliced nearly five seconds off the Australian Record for the Mile with
a run of 4-02.1 - just 0.7 behind the World Record. Three days
after this race, he broke national records for 1000m and 1500m in the
one race. He continued to perform at a high level throughout 1953 -
running at distances from 880y to Three Miles (5000m) but began to
feel the pressure of the media to break his record - particularly in
the Mile Event, where the race to break the four-minute barrier was
beginning to capture the attention of the world. On 12 December,
1953, in Melbourne, Landy set a new PB and Australian Mile Record of
4-02.0 in December, equalling Roger Bannister's Empire Record, set
earlier in the year. After the race, it was reported he would
not compete for Australia in the 1954 Empire Games and he predicted he
would never clock a four-minute mile. 'If I do so before I retire
from serious competition, it will be only luck' said Landy. He
said he was tired of all the training and had only had two months rest
in the last three years, running around fifty miles a week.
Landy said he would compete seriously until the 1954 Nationals and
then he would run 'only for fun'. At the 1954 Nationals, Landy won
the Mile easily in 4-05.6, but was unplaced in the 880y.
Fortunately, he had changed his mind about retiring and had planned an
overseas tour to challenge the four-minute mile. He arrived in
Europe in early May, but on the 6th day of the month, Roger Bannister
ran 3-59.4 at Oxford University, to become the first man in the world
under four minutes for the Mile. Landy could not approach that time
in his first few races but, with the added impetus of competition from
England's Chris Chataway in a race at Turky on 21 June, Landy smashed
Bannister's World Record with a phenomonal time of 3-57.9. The
Empire Games Mile was now described as the 'Race of the
Century'. The two barrier-breakers going head-to-head instead of
just against the clock. The race was a classic with Landy
leading all the way until he looked left in the last few hundred yards
of the race, when Bannister shot past him on the right to steal the
race. Landy accepted his defeat gracefully, saying 'the
better man won', but it was later revealed he had run with four
stitches in his foot; the result of stepping on a flash bulb in bare
feet. On his return to Australia, Landy lost motivation and slipped
into retirement when he began teaching at his old school, Geelong
Grammar. In 1955, he gradually began to run again, in the local
bush, and regained his zest for training and competition. In
early 1956, he had his first race for ten months and was only beaten
by inches, over 880y, by the American World Record Holder, Lon
Spurrier. He then ran two sub four-minute miles - the first time
the barrier had been beaten inside Australia. At the 1956 Australian
Championships, Landy's phenomonal talent and admirable sportsmanship
were both on display. During the Mile Championship, a number of
athletes fell in the third lap - junior world record-holder Ron Clarke
amongst them. Landy stopped to check if Clarke was alright and
then, after some delay, decided to chase down the leaders. It is
a testament to his athletic ability that he managed to catch
them all and win the race in a time of 4-04.2. Surely one of the
most amazing races of all time. In great form at the Championships,
he also won the Three Mile title in a national record of 13-42.2 and,
soon after the titles, sliced nearly fifteen seconds off this time to
claim another national record. Landy was then persuaded to tour the
United States in order to publicise the Melbourne Olympics. He
ran a series of fine races, including two sub four-minute miles, but
suffered injuries and muscle soreness because of the hard American
tracks. These injuries prevented him from competing in the final
Australian Olympic trials, but he was selected in the Australian Team
despite doubts about his fitness. It was no surprise to see him
named to read the Olympic Oath at the Opening Ceremony. He
considered himself lucky to qualify for the final of the 1500m, even
though all of Australia was hoping he would win the Gold Medal.
Sitting back for most of the race, Landy saved his energy for one
final challenge into the final straight. Though he pushed
himself into the bronze medal position, he could not catch the winner
Ron Delaney of Ireland. Landy ran in some club events over the next
year but finally retired from the track in 1957. He is currently
State Governor of Victoria. More about John Landy - COMING SOON!!
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