Greatest sporting moment?
Is it just me or did everyone get a shiver last night when Ron Clarke handed the Queens baton to John Landy for the final leg of the games relay?
Regardless of what you thought of the entire ceremony, those two men were part of one of Australia’s greatest ever sporting moments.
Now for the kiddies…and those who just want to hear the story again…this is what happened…
It was the 1956 National Mile Championships in Melbourne.
22,000 were crowded into the stadium… Everyone knew that if John Landy got a fast start - he would set a new world record.
At the first turn….each young man was running well, there was a buzz in the crowd….
By the start of the third lap Ron Clarke and John Landy had made their move. The world record was on!
It was at that moment, something terrible happened.
Ron Clarke was moving to the lead as they came into the corner. John Landy was on his shoulder. All of a sudden, Alec Henderson tried to squeeze between the two runners…he got too close and Ron Clarke clipped him with his heel.
Clarke sprawled forward and Henderson was knocked onto the inside arena. John Landy had no choice but to leap over the falling body of Clarke…his sharp spikes tore into the flesh of Clarke's shoulder. The whole field either jumped over Clarke or ran round him. The crowd which had been chanting "Landy, Landy" with every stride suddenly responded with an enormous gasp. Landy then did the most incredibly stupid, beautiful, foolish, gentlemanly act the sports world has ever seen. He stopped, ran back to the young Ron Clarke and helped him up to his feet, brushed cinders from knees and checking his bloodied shoulder said "Sorry". Clarke was all right. He said to Landy "Keep going, I'm all right. Run! Run!".
And he did….John Landy was about sixty yards behind the other runners when he set off…the crowd was shouting as with every stride as Landy hauled in the front runners….eventually managing to win the Australian Championship in four minutes, four seconds.
His sportsmanship probably cost him at ten or fifteen seconds…and no doubt the world record…but won him a place in our hearts forever.
What would happen today? Would we appreciate the same act of kindness in modern day sport?
Regardless of what you thought of the entire ceremony, those two men were part of one of Australia’s greatest ever sporting moments.
Now for the kiddies…and those who just want to hear the story again…this is what happened…
It was the 1956 National Mile Championships in Melbourne.
22,000 were crowded into the stadium… Everyone knew that if John Landy got a fast start - he would set a new world record.
At the first turn….each young man was running well, there was a buzz in the crowd….
By the start of the third lap Ron Clarke and John Landy had made their move. The world record was on!
It was at that moment, something terrible happened.
Ron Clarke was moving to the lead as they came into the corner. John Landy was on his shoulder. All of a sudden, Alec Henderson tried to squeeze between the two runners…he got too close and Ron Clarke clipped him with his heel.
Clarke sprawled forward and Henderson was knocked onto the inside arena. John Landy had no choice but to leap over the falling body of Clarke…his sharp spikes tore into the flesh of Clarke's shoulder. The whole field either jumped over Clarke or ran round him. The crowd which had been chanting "Landy, Landy" with every stride suddenly responded with an enormous gasp. Landy then did the most incredibly stupid, beautiful, foolish, gentlemanly act the sports world has ever seen. He stopped, ran back to the young Ron Clarke and helped him up to his feet, brushed cinders from knees and checking his bloodied shoulder said "Sorry". Clarke was all right. He said to Landy "Keep going, I'm all right. Run! Run!".
And he did….John Landy was about sixty yards behind the other runners when he set off…the crowd was shouting as with every stride as Landy hauled in the front runners….eventually managing to win the Australian Championship in four minutes, four seconds.
His sportsmanship probably cost him at ten or fifteen seconds…and no doubt the world record…but won him a place in our hearts forever.
What would happen today? Would we appreciate the same act of kindness in modern day sport?
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