Athletics great John Landy dead at 91

John Landy, the first Australian and the second man ever to run a four-minute mile, has died after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Athletics legend John Landy has died at the age of 91. Picture: Colleen Petch

Athletics great John Landy, the first Australian and the second man ever to run a four-minute mile, has died at the age of 91.

He passed away at his home in the Victorian town of Castlemaine surrounded by his family. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Landy paved the way for a golden era in Australian middle-distance running, shattering the Australia record in 1952 and breaking the world record in 1954.

But he is perhaps best remembered for what has been called the most selfless sporting moment of the 20th century. During the Australia Mile Championship at Melbourne’s Olympic Park in 1956, Landy’s friend and rival Ron Clarke tripped and fell. Landy leapt over Clarke, then turned and helped him to his feet as the field ran past. After checking his mate was OK, he resumed running and won the race.

Landy and Britain’s Roger Bannister battled to be the first to break the four-minute mile. Bannister got there first, running 3 min 59.4 sec in Oxford in May 1954. But less than two month later, Landy ran 3:57.90 in Finland.

Landy in full flight.

The front page of the 'The Sun', March 12, 1956.

Landy and Bannister’s showdown at the Empire Games in Vancouver later that year was dubbed the Miracle Mile – with Bannister edging past Landy in the final stages to win the gold.

After his stellar running career, Landy went on to become the 26th governor of Victoria.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said Landy personified the values of the Olympic movement.

“If Australia needed a role model, it is John Landy. He was a pioneer – and his rivalry with Roger Bannister, as the pair closed on the sub four-minute mark for the mile, captured not only Australia’s imagination, but that of the world,” Coates said.

“But was John’s extraordinary act of sportsmanship in stopping to assist injured rival Ron Clarke in 1956 at the Australian mile championship that says so much about John Landy. More extraordinary still, that he then chased the field down to win that race.”

John Landy, left, and Roger Bannister.

Coates said Landy’s career after sport also reflected the character of a great Australian.

“He was Victorian Governor, a collector with a strong interest in natural history. He rightly received numerous awards and forms of recognition, but he was modest about his achievements, preferring to reflect on the talents and abilities of his rivals,” he said.

“It is a sad moment for the Olympic movement in Australia but we will always remember John Landy as a man who both espoused and lived the Olympic values.”