Bannister held the mile word record for 7 weeks, Landy held it for more than 3 years. Bannister never held the 1500 meter world record. Landy held it for more than a year.
Absolute boss. Often imagined myself running 440 repeats in the dark. RIP good man.
660 repeats .. but yes he writes they were in the dark ..! RIP .. total sportsman.
You’re both correct, actually. Fascinating is the detailed outline of his training prior to his breakthrough in Turku in “How They Train: Middle Distances”.
Amazing athlete, and conciliatory to a fault: He lost the gold medal in '56 (and other races) because "he felt too good" and didn't want to be so rude as to drop everyone at 300m to go. RIP.
Amazing athlete, and conciliatory to a fault: He lost the gold medal in '56 (and other races) because "he felt too good" and didn't want to be so rude as to drop everyone at 300m to go. RIP.
Wonderful athlete, and human being. However, re the 1956 Olympics, Landy had raced a lot, including in the US, to promote the games. He had developed a niggling injury problem, and hence ran a rather tentative race in the 1500m final.
Amazing athlete, and conciliatory to a fault: He lost the gold medal in '56 (and other races) because "he felt too good" and didn't want to be so rude as to drop everyone at 300m to go. RIP.
Wonderful athlete, and human being. However, re the 1956 Olympics, Landy had raced a lot, including in the US, to promote the games. He had developed a niggling injury problem, and hence ran a rather tentative race in the 1500m final.
I am just relating what I heard the man himself relate in the documentary "1500 Meters" which by coincidence I watched last night. He came around the field effortlessly and he felt so good it caused a flurry of doubt and he runs the curve wide. Meanwhile Delany is charging from the back....
Bannister held the mile word record for 7 weeks, Landy held it for more than 3 years. Bannister never held the 1500 meter world record. Landy held it for more than a year.
Similar to the second team to summit Everest...you know those uh, guys from, oh what's that country, the one that was climbing mountains......And they did it faster too!
I used to race his son Matt who was a very handy 1.47, low 3.40's guy. One day I was sitting the the stands with Matt watching the state titles and I felt a figure come and sit down next to Matt. Matt said ' Id like you to meet my dad' It took me a couple of seconds for the penny to drop, then I was speechless for the first time ever!
Having read "The Perfect Mile" and seen footage of the race, I question that Landy thought he could out-kick Bannister. His tactics at Vancouver were intended to nullify Bannister's kick, but he knew he had failed when Bannister closed the gap and was right behind him in the final lap. As we saw, at the finish Bannister proved he had the superior kick.
It's interesting to think what could have happened in a sit-and-kick. The splits make it clear that Landy simply faded harder than Bannister: "It was not a fast finish. Bannister was able to finish no faster than at any other stage of the race, Landy slower. Landy had got to the 1500-metre mark only 1/10 second outside his world record. He then took 17.7 seconds to get to the mile- 1 1/2 seconds slower than in Malmo [when he ran 3:58.0]."
A kick is relative to what your opposition is doing, not to other stages of the race. Bannister moved passed Landy not because the Australian was slowing but because Bannister accelerated at that point. He finished several yards (it was an imperial distance) ahead. Whatever word you choose, Bannister had the stronger finish. Landy knew that, which is why he ran from the front and tried to get a break on the field and on Bannister in particular. Bannister was too good that day.
Bannister held the mile word record for 7 weeks, Landy held it for more than 3 years. Bannister never held the 1500 meter world record. Landy held it for more than a year.
But head to head, in the race that mattered, Bannister was the convincing winner. Bannister also beat Landy to being the first man under 4 minutes.
John was an intelligent trainer. He went to the Helsinki well conditioned by Cerutty but not in race fitness. But, he listened and talked while he was there and came back to Australia with a plan. Indeed, had he come to Europe in the summer of 1953 - and why didn't he? - he would have been the first to run sub 4 for the mile.
Bannister and Landy were both great men and great athletes. I don't see the point of speculating whether one or the other had a better career or was a better athlete at this point. Landy just died and he was an amazing athlete and he will forever be linked with Bannister because of that amazing sequence of races in 1954. If they were competing today, they would face each other more often and learn how to race each other and we would have a better idea than we have now looking back at 1954 and speculating about what could have been. Comparisons between the two at this point should focus on how great they both were, not pumping one up at the expense of the other.
I read the book “The Perfect Mile” by Neal Bascomb, chronicling the efforts of Bannister, Landy and Santee to break the 4 minute barrier a few times in high school. With respect to the others, I always found Landy the most likable and definitely the most inspirational.
Agreed. Great book and a must read for any runner and sports historian.
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