Events In History
-
1 August 1992Lorraine Moller wins Olympic bronze
At the age of 37, Lorraine Moller ran the race of her life to place third in the marathon at the Barcelona Olympics. Read more...
-
31 July 1976John Walker wins gold in Montreal
Following in the footsteps of Jack Lovelock and Peter Snell, Walker won gold in the Olympic 1500 m. Black African nations boycotted the Games in protest at the All Blacks' tour of South Africa Read more...
-
12 August 1975John Walker breaks world mile record
John Walker became history’s first sub-3:50 miler, running 3:49.4 at Gothenburg, Sweden. Read more...
-
21 October 1964Peter Snell wins second gold in Tokyo
Snell had successfully defended his 800-m title earlier at the Tokyo Olympics and completed the coveted middle-distance double with gold in the 1500 m. Fellow Kiwi John Davies won bronze. Read more...
-
27 January 1962Peter Snell breaks world mile record
The 23-year-old Olympic 800-m champion hoped to run the first four-minute mile on New Zealand soil. In fact, he broke Australian Herb Elliott’s 3½-year-old world record by the smallest possible margin, 0.1 seconds. Read more...
-
2 September 1960Golden hour for Kiwi runners in Rome
New Zealand sport enjoyed one of its greatest days in Rome’s Olympic Stadium. Peter Snell won the 800 m and Murray Halberg won the 5000 m. Read more...
-
15 July 1933Lovelock smashes world mile record
Jack Lovelock's run at Princeton University broke Jules Ladoumegue’s record for the mile by 1.6 seconds. The race was dubbed the 'greatest mile of all time' by Time Magazine. Read more...
-
7 July 1924'Tom Watson' wins bronze for New Zealand
The character in the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of fire (1981) was based on Arthur Porritt, who won a bronze medal for New Zealand in the 100 m at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Read more...
Articles
Sport, 1940-1960
The mid-century decades brought more mass participation in sport, the consolidation of many national competitions, and greater achievement at international level.
- Page 2 - Lydiard's legacyThe cult of masculinity had one positive spin-off: Arthur Lydiard. A runner of iron will but limited natural ability, he discovered that as he ran further he got fitter.
Biographies
-
Walker, John George
John Walker is one of New Zealand's track heroes. His athletic career was punctuated by memorable performances and noted for its longevity
Read more... -
Lydiard, Arthur Leslie
Arthur Lydiard was a marathon runner and athletics coach, whose most notable trainees included Olympic and Commonwealth Games champions.
Read more...
-
Main image: John Walker in 1982
Runner John Walker after completing mile race around Queen's Park, Toronto on 18 September 1982.