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RNZ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
50 years since Sir John Walker broke the world mile record
history sport 27 minutes ago It was 50 years ago on Tuesday that Sir John Walker broke the world record for the mile in Sweden, becoming the first person to run under 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Barry Guy reports.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Watch: Sir John Walker broke the world record for the mile 50 years ago today
It was 50 years ago today that Sir John Walker achieved one of the great moments in New Zealand athletics. On 12 August 1975 Walker broke the world record for the mile. Twenty-three-year-old Walker lined up at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden with the aim of breaking the record and also wanting to go under three minutes and 50 seconds. Tanzanian Filbert Bayi, Walker's great rival from the 1974 Commonwealth Games, had set a new mark of 3:51.0 in May 1975. Sir John Walker and coach, Arch Jelley, 1980. Photo: Bayi had beaten Walker for gold in the 1500m final at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, breaking that world record along the way. Walker's coach Arch Jelley said Walker went to Europe in 1975 in great form. "We thought he would do it," Jelley told RNZ. "He was in very good shape. I always thought he was capable of doing it and on that day in Gothenburg if he'd been paced he would have done very much faster." Walker had to do it all himself over the latter part of the race as he was cheered on by a vocal crowd who new a world best time was on the cards. "I knew as soon as I crossed the line, the reaction from the crowd that I had broken the world record, but I didn't know that I had run under 3:50," Walker said some years later. "It wasn't until a watch was thrust under my face that I realised I'd broken 3:50." He didn't just break the record, he smashed it taking 1.6 seconds off the time set by Bayi a month earlier. John Walker running the 1500m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Photo: Photosport His time of 3:49.4 was exactly 10 seconds faster than Roger Bannister did 21 years earlier when he became the first person to break the four minute barrier for the mile. His achievement followed the likes of fellow New Zealand greats Jack Lovelock, Yvette Williams, Marise Chamberlain and Sir Peter Snell to have broken world records. Coach Jelley said getting an early phone call at his home in Auckland with the news that Walker had broken the record was something he would never forget. "Absolutely because when I woke up on August the 13th it was my birthday (53rd birthday) and John had just broken the world record, so it was a very good birthday present." The achievement shot Walker into stardom, however at the time he didn't realise the significance of it. "It wasn't until I got back to the hotel room when all the adulation had died down, the victory laps, the kisses, the flowers the waving to the crowd had gone, it wasn't until I got back to the hotel room and settled down with a couple of beers that the phone started ringing from all over the world, then I realised what I'd done." Sir John Walker went on to win the Olympic gold in 1976, while his mile record stood until 1979 when it was lowered by Sebastian Coe. Walker now lives with Parkinson's disease. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Sir John Walker broke the world record for the mile 50 years ago today
John Walker running the 1500m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Photo: Photosport It was 50 years ago today that Sir John Walker achieved one of the great moments in New Zealand athletics. On 12 August 1975 Walker broke the world record for the mile. Twenty-three-year-old Walker lined up at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden with the aim of breaking the record and also wanting to go under three minutes and 50 seconds. Tanzanian Filbert Bayi, Walker's great rival from the 1974 Commonwealth Games, had set a new mark of 3:51.0 in May 1975. Sir John Walker and coach, Arch Jelley, 1980. Photo: Bayi had beaten Walker for gold in the 1500m final at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, breaking that world record along the way. Walker's coach Arch Jelley said Walker went to Europe in 1975 in great form. "We thought he would do it," Jelley told RNZ. "He was in very good shape. I always thought he was capable of doing it and on that day in Gothenburg if he'd been paced he would have done very much faster." Walker had to do it all himself over the latter part of the race as he was cheered on by a vocal crowd who new a world best time was on the cards. "I knew as soon as I crossed the line, the reaction from the crowd that I had broken the world record, but I didn't know that I had run under 3:50," Walker said some years later. "It wasn't until a watch was thrust under my face that I realised I'd broken 3:50." He didn't just break the record, he smashed it taking 1.6 seconds off the time set by Bayi a month earlier. His time of 3:49.4 was exactly 10 seconds faster than Roger Bannister did 21 years earlier when he became the first person to break the four minute barrier for the mile. His achievement followed the likes of fellow New Zealand greats Jack Lovelock, Yvette Williams, Marise Chamberlain and Sir Peter Snell to have broken world records. Coach Jelley said getting an early phone call at his home in Auckland with the news that Walker had broken the record was something he would never forget. "Absolutely because when I woke up on August the 13th it was my birthday (53rd birthday) and John had just broken the world record, so it was a very good birthday present." The achievement shot Walker into stardom, however at the time he didn't realise the significance of it. "It wasn't until I got back to the hotel room when all the adulation had died down, the victory laps, the kisses, the flowers the waving to the crowd had gone, it wasn't until I got back to the hotel room and settled down with a couple of beers that the phone started ringing from all over the world, then I realised what I'd done." Sir John Walker went on to win the Olympic gold in 1976, while his mile record stood until 1979 when it was lowered by Sebastian Coe. Walker now lives with Parkinson's disease. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Independent Singapore
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Jessica Hull finishes second despite breaking her own Australian mile record at the London Diamond League
Photo: LONDON, UK: Jessica Hull recently broke her own Australian and Oceanian records in the mile but finished second at the Diamond League meet in London. The athlete, who won a silver medal in the Olympic mile, was hopeful when Gudaf Tsegay ran very fast at the start, but when Hull got close, Tsegay sped up even more and won the race easily, setting a new national record with a time of 4 minutes 11.88 seconds. Hull admitted, 'I had a lot of distractions, but was just trying to zone into the leader in the second half, but it was a solid run.' Although she finished second, Hull found consolation in lowering her own Oceanian mile record to 4:13.68. The athlete added, 'Coming in, we were thinking I could run a national record, and I did. I would have liked to have been a little closer to 4:10, but I felt very strong for 4:13… A lot of records fell today, so it was a pretty special to be a part of that race.' In front of 60,000 spectators, she and high jumper Eleanor Patterson both took second place, while Rose Davies, who also set new national and Oceanian records in the 5000 m, placed third. Despite not gaining the top spot, it was a strong and memorable event for Australian athletes. On social media, netizens expressed their support for Hull: 'So stoked for her. She gives it her all and is a great competitor', 'Absolutely brilliant!!', 'She shows up every single race', and 'Brilliant! Amazing! Incredible! 🏃🏼♀️👏🏻😀.' Tournament highlights Davies finished third with a time of 14:31.45, just behind two Ethiopian runners, Medina Eisa, who finished with a time of 14:30.57, and Fantaye Belayneh, who had a time of 14:30.90. Her time was more than nine seconds faster than her old national record of 14:40.83, which she set in China last April. With this, Davies expressed: 'I was ready for a big race and felt like I responded to the challenge today… My expectations were a PB (personal best), and I have achieved that, so I am really pleased.' Moreover, Georgia Griffith came fifth with a new personal best of 14:32.82, also beating the old record. Former world champion Patterson was also surprised that her 1.93-metre jump was enough to win silver. British athlete Morgan Lake took first place with a jump of 1.96 metres. Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred broke her own record for St. Lucia by running the fastest 200m time in the world this year—21.71 seconds. Australian runner Torrie Lewis wasn't able to keep up and finished last with a time of 23.05 seconds. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jess Hull breaks Australian mile record in London
Jess Hull has gone record hunting again, smashing her own Australian and Oceanian mile marks but still having to settle for second best at a star-studded Diamond League meeting in London. While Hull and high jumper Eleanor Patterson grabbed runners-up spots at the London Stadium to lead the Australian challenge in front of a 60,000 full house on Saturday, it also proved a landmark day for Newcastle's Rose Davies who obliterated her own national and Oceanian 5000m marks while finishing third. But on another promising afternoon for Australia's athletes, as they started building their preparations for the Tokyo World Championships, there was a setback for young miling sensation Cam Myers, whose promising bid in the meeting-concluding 1500m ended with an on-track bump. Olympic metric mile silver medallist Hull's eyes must have lit up when Gudaf Tsegay seemed to be setting a suicidal pace in the mile, but as the Wollongong ace moved up to her shoulder, Ethiopia's former double world champ found an extra gear to win comfortably in a new national record 4min 11.88sec. Hull's substantial consolation was to lower her own Oceanian mark to 4:13.68. "I had a lot of distractions, but was just trying to zone into the leader in the second half, but it was a solid run," said Hull. "Coming in, we were thinking I could run a national record, and I did. I would have liked to have been a little closer to 4:10, but I felt very strong for 4:13. "A lot of records fell today, so it was a pretty special to be a part of that race." Earlier on Saturday, Davies clocked 14:31.45 for third behind the Ethiopian duo of Medina Eisa (14:30.57) and Fantaye Belayneh (14:30.90), her run eclipsing her previous national mark of 14:40.83, set in China in April, by more than nine seconds. "I was ready for a big race and felt like I responded to the challenge today," said the 25-year-old. "My expectations were a PB (personal best) and I have achieved that so I am really pleased." Former world champion Patterson was happy with yet another podium spot but felt surprised her 1.93m clearance was enough to earn her the silver on a day when even Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh had an off-day, allowing British home hope Morgan Lake to win with a 1.96m leap. "I am very honoured to be known as 'Miss Consistent' as it reflects my aim to be consistently jumping well," said Patterson. "Today doesn't quite match up to it -- but if 1.93 is a bad day and second I can't be too mad about it" Myers, the 19-year-old Canberran phenomenon who's had a stunning year in the senior ranks already while finishing runner-up in Oslo's Dream Mile, looked ready for the next step as he moved sweetly into contention on the final lap of the metric mile. But about to make his move in fourth, he and Briton George Mills clipped heels, taking each other out of contention, and Myers ended up limping home way down in 13th place in 4:24.03, wondering what might have been as another teenage superstar, Kenya's Phanuel Koech, won in the fastest time ever seen in the UK, 3:28.82. International highlight of the day may have been Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred smashing her own national St Lucian record while running the fastest 200m in the world this year (21.71sec). Australian hope Torrie Lewis couldn't live with that, finishing last in 23.05.
