John Landy may have been only the second person to break the elusive four-minute mile barrier after Englishman Roger Bannister in 1954, but the scene that would be forever etched into Australian sporting folklore occurred at the Australian Mile championship of 1956. At the time and despite his prowess, Landy was still yet to claim Commonwealth or Olympic gold, and was up against a field of athletes desperately vying to take their spot in Australia’s home Olympic team for the Melbourne Games. Landy originally took up running to get himself fit to play Australian rules football but on that fine autumn day in Melbourne, he would be forever defined by what occurred on the running track.

The Race

Three laps in to a gruelling four lap mile race, a group of runners fell down including then Junior 1500m champion Ron Clarke. In the ensuing chaos, Landy accidently stepped on Clarke’s arm in his spiked shoes and instinctively ran back to apologise and check if he was okay. While Landy was soon able to recommence running, this act of sportsmanship had placed him over 30m behind the field with considerable ground to make up late in the race. Unbelievably, Landy went on to make up all that ground and subsequently win the race in a cracking time of 4:04.

In an article written the following day in Melbourne’s Sun News-Pictorial, journalist Harry Gordon wrote "Yours was a classic sporting gesture. It was a senseless piece of chivalry - but it will be remembered as one of the finest actions in the history of sport. In a nutshell, you sacrificed your chance of a world record to go to the aid of a fallen rival. And in pulling up, trotting back to Ron Clarke, muttering ‘sorry’ and deciding to chase the field, you achieved much more than any world record".

In the following months on a tour to promote the upcoming 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Landy ran several races on relatively hard tracks in the United States, sustaining several injuries. Nonetheless he was still selected to compete for Australia but could only achieve a bronze medal in a race won by Ireland’s Ron Delaney. Unfortunately Landy would never again get the chance to compete for Olympic or Commonwealth gold, retiring soon after in 1957.

The Legacy

Landy’s pursuit of excellence after running may not have been as visible, but it was nonetheless impressive. Following an agricultural science degree from the University of Melbourne, Landy had a long career in research culminating in the last 11 years as Research and Development Manager for what was then known as the ICI company. Landy had a particular interest in conservation, and in fact wrote multiple books on the topic. He was also a foundation member of the Land Conservation Council (1971-79), a period in which the national parks of the State of Victoria expanded fivefold. Landy finally became Governor of Victoria from 2001 to 2006 and was known to ensure politicians of the day didn’t forget the people they ultimately served.

While Landy led a colourful life and made a significant contribution to society in so many respects, his humility which came to the fore that famous day in Melbourne in 1956 was really what marked the man. Landy never saw the fuss about what hid did, remarking it was only an instinctive thing to do. Although that was probably the case, it was only instinctive for a man that put others first and led by example in being the best person he could be. Sim & Mack salutes John Landy AC MBE for being a man in pursuit of excellence but not at the expense of others.

Sources:

Athletics Australia, Hall of Fame Directory, John Landy OAM

Sport Australia, Hall of Fame

University of Melbourne, Mr John Landy