/ 28 February 2022

Vale John Landy

Image source: AAP
Image source: AAP

Australian sporting legend John Landy has died at 91 from Parkinson’s disease. The athletics star was the 2nd man in the world to break the 4-minute mile – which involves running 1.6kms really fast… Landy is best remembered for 2 things. The first is a moment of sportsmanship at the 1956 Track and Field Championships in Melbourne. Several athletes fell, including junior 1,500m world-record holder Ron Clarke. Landy stopped to check if Clarke was ok before rejoining the race to win in 4:04. In 1999, it was voted the “Finest Sporting Moment of the Century” by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. And the second is his rivalry with English runner Roger Bannister. Sebastian Coe, the World Athletics President/2-time gold medallist in the 1,500m, said Landy and Bannister were the sport’s pioneers. Off the track, Landy studied agricultural science, wrote 2 books on natural history, and was the 26th Governor of Victoria from 2001-06.

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