Athletics at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Men's 1 mile
The men's 1 mile event at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games was held on 6 and 7 August at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, Canada.[1]
The final race – dubbed The Miracle Mile – represented a landmark in the history of the Four-minute mile. Roger Bannister had been the first to have broken the barrier earlier that year, but John Landy followed soon after with sub-4 minute (and world record time of 3:58.0) of his own. The games offered the first time that two sub-4 minute runners had duelled against each other. Landy led until the final curve, at which point he turned left to gauge Bannister's position. Bannister took the opportunity to overtake him on his blind side and he edged out a victory over Landy with a time of 3:58.8 minutes. Landy also ran under four minutes, representing the first time two men had done so in the same race.[2] A sculpture of the race-deciding moment was later placed outside the stadium in memory of the duel.
Medalists[edit]
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
Roger Bannister England
|
John Landy Australia
|
Rich Ferguson Canada
|
Results[edit]
Heats[edit]
Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) qualify directly for the final.[3]
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Murray Halberg |  New Zealand |
4:07.4 | Q, GR |
| 2 | 1 | Rich Ferguson | Canada |
4:07.8 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Roger Bannister | England |
4:08.4 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | David Law | England |
4:08.6 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | John Disley |  Wales |
4:09.0 | |
| 6 | 1 | Don MacMillan | Australia |
4:11.6 | |
| 7 | 1 | John Moule | Canada |
4:17.2 | |
| 1 | Edwin Warren | Australia |
DNF | ||
| 1 | James Daly | New Zealand |
DNF | ||
| 1 | 2 | Bill Baillie | New Zealand |
4:11.4 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Victor Milligan |  Northern Ireland |
4:11.4 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | John Landy | Australia |
4:11.4 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Ian Boyd | England |
4:11.6 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Bill Parnell | Canada |
4:13.8 | |
| 6 | 2 | Chris Brasher | England |
4:15.4 | |
| 7 | 2 | Edward Morton | Canada |
4:23.2 | |
| 2 | Jim Bailey | Australia |
DNS |
Final[edit]
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Roger Bannister | England |
3:58.8 | GR |
 |
John Landy | Australia |
3:59.6 | |
 |
Rich Ferguson | Canada |
4:04.6 | |
| 4 | Victor Milligan | Northern Ireland |
4:05.0 | |
| 5 | Murray Halberg | New Zealand |
4:07.2 | |
| 6 | Ian Boyd | England |
4:07.2 | |
| 7 | Bill Baillie | New Zealand |
4:11.0 | |
| David Law | England |
DNF |
References[edit]
- ^ "Results". thecgf.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ Bryant, John (2005). 3:59.4: The Quest to Break the Four Minute Mile. Arrow Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0-09-946908-7.
- ^ "Wilmshurst's long jump record". The Manchester Guardian. 7 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ "Final results". The Manchester Guardian. 9 August 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ "Final results". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 August 1954. p. 9. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
Commonwealth Games champions in men's 1500 metres | |
|---|---|
| 1 mile (1930–1966) |
|
| 1500 metres (1970–present) |
|
