Sir John Walker - 1500m Final 1976

[@corkcollins]

John Walker was on fire that day 😊😊New Zealand legend in the Athletics World

[@MrBendybruce]

I was 9 years old when I watch this live, and it still gives me the chills watching it now as a half blind 55 year old.

[@Maree-ti1jc]

and so was I - vivid memories of watching on our tiny black and white tv. He was an icon of my childhood in NZ

[@pomerau]

INTERNET / SMARTPHONES, where were ya?! I'm 63. I moved from Cork at 17 and later joined a Dublin athletic club and did road running every evening from about '79. (in UK since '87) I completely missed Coe and Ovett's world records, except on the back of a newspaper if I saw one, or caught the TV sports news. It didn't seem big news at the club, or I missed the conversations. Hard to believe Cram was at the same level. He seemed a Johnny come lately and was too overlooked in the '80s I think. I've been watching a lot of videos recently, courtesy of channels like this.😎 I saw Coghlan come fourth at 5000m on TV at work in 1980 (I must have known it was his second medal miss). He was great, but Walker was my ultimate hero - and then Ovett. Until watching this just now, I had completely missed that Walker DID get gold in '76. 😃 I knew he set the most sub 4's. I must have known but forgotten soon after! I'm so glad he has an Olympic Gold Medal.👏 Then here was David Moorcroft at 1500, who went on to record the first (?) sub 13 minute 5000m. That I did know and was in awe of at the time. it was such a massive jump from the few sub 13:12s there were. Most of all, here was the real Van Damme (Ivo?) getting Silver, which i didn't know, but I recognised the figure. I'll now have to remind myself how he passed and has had a famous race named after him for such a long time.🥲 (sorry about the drivel writing. I may edit later) 🙃

[@susanbrannon3295]

As an 18 year old, I attended that race as a spectator…..just there to see Walker my hero….he didn’t disappoint!!!!

[@jlmfoy365]

Growing up John Walker was a hero of mine, great to see this wonderful performance again.

[@koishooter]

In 1983 he lived in Carlsbad, CA. Some friends of mine heard he did a light jog once a week from a certain park and would be ok if we randomly showed up. We started the four miles at around 8 min pace and after 2 was cruising at around 7ish. I had no idea how far we were going or if he was going to speed up. There was about 6 of us, and no one spoke. I was a teenager, too in awe to speak. Plus he was the tallest distance runner I'd ever seen. Very imposing. I had a poster of him and Steve Scott on my wall. What the hell was I going to say? Hey I have a poster of you and Steve Scott on my... How gay would that have sounded? Plus, I ran a sub 4:30; he ran sub 3:50... When we got back to the park, he said something like, "Thanks gents" and was gone. Looking back, he was just a regular guy, kinda shy, 31 at the time. We should have invited him to go surfing.

[@APBCTechnique]

Koi Shooter nice story

[@koro287]

@@bfc3057 Nah, thats fine,dont be gay yourself.

[@temp850]

Great story except for the 'So Gay' comment. ✌️

[@linrob1312]

Wonderful moment...still tear up when I watch our John...we were so proud of him that day...Great run from a great guy...NZ produced two of the finest milers ever in John and Peter Snell. ❤

[@Anthony-Testicali]

Sub 4:30 yourself you were no joke.i dont think john wouldve thought you were gay

[@Finarphin]

There was a New Zealander sitting behind me in the stands for this evening's competition. He was completely quiet until this race. Once it got going he perked up and became quite agitated. He started yelling, letting out an utterance that at first sounded something like "KAAN WAW KA!!" It was a few days later that I finally understood he was saying, "Come on, Walker!" He came all that way to Montreal, and happily, was satisfied.

[@rabbitss11]

the way you've written that it sounds like the bloke behind you was an Australian - great runner, John Walker

[@zabaleta66]

@@rabbitss11 We have a lot of similarities to the Aussies, our early history and shared history is intertwined.....right down to some slang terms.

[@PaulVinonaama]

Maori language?

[@rickovanti982]

​@@PaulVinonaamaNah, just our lazy English.

[@jean-guygagnon6950]

Les JO de Montréal ( Québec ) . J'avais 17 ans. La remontée spectaculaire d'Ivo Van Damme m'avait vivement impressionné. Je fus happé par une grande tristesse lorsque j'appris son décès accidentel à la radio en décembre de la même année.

[@taintabird23]

I watched this race as a small boy in Ireland, rooting for Coughlan, who finished fourth. He finished fourth in Moscow in 1980 too. It was heartbreaking.

[@Paremata]

I was 7 watching this in NZ. Obviously, it was exciting for us. My mum yelled at me afterwards for jumping up and down on the chair.

[@trwent]

Coughlan was an indoor specialist. He rarely did much in outdoor races.

[@paulryder1204]

What a fantastic time it was in the mid 70s for athletics, especially middle distance. The great Kenyans ,our own Coe and ovett and a bit later cram. Great memories.

[@jameszinsmeister5930]

A joy to watch, even now!

[@brettwilkinson9529]

First man to run under 3.50 in the mile.First man to run 100 sub 4 minute mile races and Olympic 1500 metre gold medalist. A fantastic career.

[@sundromos9456]

Breaking 3:50 really blew our minds. Little did we know how quaint that figure would soon become. When I look at the 800 speed on some of these earlier studs, from Snell to Bayi and Walker, their 800 times compare very favorably with 1500 meter runners of recent years with sub 3:30 times. Makes me wonder how much better they might have run with today's improved training and dietary regimens. But it's a moot point of course.

[@tommytempo1]

Also the improved synthetic track and running shoe technology of today.

[@jamesfitz2000]

This was his last hurrah. After 1976 the British runners essentially ended his dominance and he never won a major event again. A great career.

[@zabaleta66]

He was also bedeviled with injury from this point on......even before then! He also stated in an interview that his goal of getting that 1500 gold was done, and he never quite had the same drive afterwards.

[@johnmc3862]

100%

[@davethomas1260]

became the first person to run 100 sub 4 minute miles

[@vinniex3098]

Ovett was the first to end his dominance in 77. Then Coe joined him and Cram later. Walker had his day and it was time for the next generation (the Brits) to take over.

[@sananto6896]

Great tactical race by John Walker. Takes guts to sprint 300 yards out. Just as impressive is that he maintained the lead. Awesome! Thanks for posting.

[@MrLinwood68]

The great man - humble to a fault.

[@sergiomartinatto4572]

1° John Walker (NEZ) 3:39:17 - 2° Ivo Van Damme (BEL) 3:39:27 - 3° Paul Heinz Wellmann (BRD) 3:39:33 - 4° Eamonn Coghlan (EIR) - 5° Frank Clement (GBR) - 6° Rick Wohlhuter (USA) - 7° David Moorcroft (GBR) - 8° Graham Crouch (AUS) - 9° Janos Zemen (HUN). I saw the direct in TV. I was a fan of the great John Walker.

[@sarahscott5099]

SIR JOHN WALKER IS MY GREAT UNCLE :D

[@FergusHodgson]

A great man.

[@APBCTechnique]

I saw him run in the 1974 commonwealth games in Christchurch where he was ran into second by Filbert Bayi and a new WR - it was an amazing run gun to tape of front running by Bayi legend. 75 & 76 was John’s years and very well done indeed

[@luissergiorodriguezvazquez4385]

6 8

[@leonahiggins5170]

Really Sarah? He is my brother. I have never heard your name. How so?

[@bazjones5282]

@@leonahiggins5170 Hi Leona, your cousin Jason here....I Was just wondering the same thing.

[@paullinford4510]

One of the great what-ifs of athletics is whether Ivo Van Damme would have beaten Coe and Ovett in Moscow had he lived.

[@iancurtis1152]

The fastest Walker I’ve seen😁

[@mansikkarahka-tn4ml]

NICE TO WATCH IT

[@Briancrobinsonspeaks]

that was close. wow. real balls. Flat out sprint the last 300 yards

[@trwent]

Great performance by Walker, following in the footsteps of his idol, the great Peter Snell.

[@VADELMAHILLO-gu9qe]

I LIKED IT

[@scottnancybussinger6721]

My favorite runner during those years was Walker. He set the WR in the mile just after I graduated High School. Van Damme was a great runner as well (silver in the 1500 and 800 in Montreal) with a great future however, his life was cut short in a car accident at the end of 1976 I believe.

[@brettwilkinson9529]

Walker was the King during 1975 and 1976.

[@redrum4100]

Got beat in Stockholm by Martin Liquori in 1975 whereas Bayi was unbeaten.

[@tommytempo1]

Walker beat Bayi at Helsinki in June 1974, 3:33.4 to Bayi’s 3:37.0.

[@zabaleta66]

@@redrum4100 Mate, the runners in the 70's during the European season had punishing schedules! They had to plan, travel, find accommodation, and pay their own way for all of that.....often sleeping on friends and fans couches, all the while attempting to fulfill meeting organisers obligations! Out of their own pockets, doing it all by the seat of their pants! No one was winning everything.

[@PAARYNASOSE-om7is]

my idol and hero

[@duncanwcraig9668]

only peter snell in 1960 in Roma comes close to this great moment in New Zealand Olympic history.

[@MarkMcLT]

Two of the greats for sure, though Lovelock in 36 also deserves to be ranked right along with them kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXzEgJx5fNB9q6s

[@musik102]

Halberg 1960!!!

[@michellejane9092]

Halberg, lovelock, snell & walker equal

[@rjh6037]

Actually among NZ middle distance running, what Lovelock did in Berlin 1936 is generally considered the greatest race for a NZer. Going 300m out was unheard of at the time and he was the first NZer to win. Snell winning in '60 as an unknown was awesome, then the double in '64 pretty amazing too. Walker trained his whole career with a very bad knee, he just had to work around it, and he did that. As an aside Nick Willis was robbed by guys loaded on juice in 2008 Kiprop's drug use over his career is pretty common knowledge, it could have been another. Overall NZ has been lucky to have all these guys, it may be a while before we see such talent.

[@Paremata]

@@rjh6037 It wasn't luck. It was the influence of the great coach Authur Lydiard.

[@terrancehorne-m1p]

hey guys , i can tel from a person that has run against John Walker , he is the most awesome guy you will ever meet. i was 16 , i ran 1.57 for 800 at the schools champs . no idea how to run that event . JOHN came to me at the Auckland camps and said follow me through the 700 and then have a crack

[@Tehui1974]

Legend.

[@tommytempo1]

Walker ran a 3:50 Mile eight years later in 1984!

[@bodybalanceU2]

it was stated that John Walker literally had a larger than normal heart organ and that was his secret weapon to be able to accelerate as he did - him and phar lap both kiwis with huge hearts and legends in their sport

[@barbaracameron-smith7093]

The Big Man from New Zealand legs it!

[@iancurtis1152]

Walker, Dickson & Quax 🏆🏆🏆

[@Kvbftng]

The Irish runner , one of his best races ever he was at the front covered everything, and has a big kick , but just couldn't find that extra gear , that he usually has .so unlucky but surprised Steve ovett was not there what happened

[@NetworkGulf]

ജോൺ വോക്കർ ഗംഭീരം

[@roddyteague6246]

The first of three consecutive Olympics to be boycotted. 1976 was not as it appeared. On the face of it African countries stayed away due to a rugby match between N. Zealand & S. Africa. The real reason it turned out was that most African nations could not afford to send athletes to Montreal so the sanctions were a face saver! 1980 was a direct response by the US to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous year. It is now thought that this contributed (as well as the Iranian Embassy debacle) to Jimmy Carter losing that year's Election. 1984 in Los Angeles was unusual for the Soviet's absence as a tit for tat on the US previous boycott. It was odd to see an Australian fisherman to win a weightlifting gold! Hats off to Sir John & his marvellously named coach-Arch Jelley!

[@paulfogartysongs]

25 secs final 200m. hokey smokes.

[@Sargebri]

The one downer was the fact that Filbert Bayi of Tanzania or Mike Boit of Kenya were not in this race. They were absent because of the African boycott.

[@tommytempo1]

Bayi had malaria just prior to Montreal 1976 and may not have been fit to compete.

[@Sargebri]

@@tommytempo1 wow. I did not know that. Of course, this was 46 years ago and back then I was only ten and really was just getting into track.

[@tommytempo1]

@@Sargebri Boit was more of an 800m runner back then and would have been more of a threat to Juantorena in the 800m.

[@SirPeter6464]

Never gets his knees up. Simply drives on with his standard technique. Can't fault the man, but curious all the same.

[@stevent2746]

We used to joke as kids that he would run even faster if he had shorter hair.

[@johnmc3862]

Sir John, his pet Parrott calls him that. Great runner.

[@Pete-qo7bv]

Van Damme who came 2nd was unfortunately killed later that year. From memory it was a car accident I think!!!

[@scottnancybussinger6721]

It was in a car accident. He also finished second in the 800m in Montreal. A great future cut short.

[@archiewoosung5062]

This was a pretty classy race...the last without Africans? Was this the Olympics boycotted by the Kenyans? Presumably Moorcroft (later to be half a second away from being the first under 13mins for 5k) wasn't at 100% because he would have known he couldn't come from behind? Coghlan was known as a fast finisher (though he was better as an indoor miler) so Walker must have been confident (despite what was presumably a disappointing 800m). Van Damme 2nd here & 2nd to Juantorena in the 800m only to die later (that year?). ... the Diamond League meeting in Brussels still bears his name. Ovett was at Montreal as a "youngster" who finished 6th in the 800m, I think...presumably his breakthrough came at least a year later & Coghlan & Moorcroft moved to 5k, perhaps not unconnected. Think Walker hadn't been entirely forgotten when I went to NZ 20 years later, but if you're not carrying a big egg, doesn't seem like sport counts for much there

[@gary1961]

Yes. Double silver medallist, Ivo Van Damme, tragically killed in a car crash on December 29th 1976. What with Steve Prefontaine being killed the year before, we were deprived of two top class runners who would have added to the mix in many great races of that era.

[@zabaleta66]

Oh, for sure rugby players get most of the attention, even fairly average ones. I wouldn't say Walker is entirely forgotten here......I was a teen during these Olympics and Walker, Juantorena, Comaneci, Haseley Crawford, our Kiwi rowing eight, our hockey team, Quax & Dixon, Alexeev, Teofilo Stevenson and a host of other great memories are just so nostalgic for me as I enter the cusp of old age!

[@PaulVinonaama]

Africans boycotted 1976 Olympics at large.

[@terrysfreefoodtv]

go the kiwis!!!

[@wesleytwiggs7687]

His name is walker but be was born to run.

[@robertmac9057]

Frank Clement of Britain always seemed to finish incredibly fast but left himself too much to do.

[@johnrogan9420]

Honestly I see Alberto Juantoureno taking Walker if the race is a jog for 1200 meters...then an all out sprint...3:39.5...weak...about a 3:57 mile pace...🌈

[@tommytempo1]

This was a race, not a time trial! Race tactics come into play, run to your strengths.

[@henrydownes6301]

Coghlan ran wrong tactics ,should have Won it but didn't

[@zabaleta66]

Coghlan was never going to win it! It was always Walker & Bayi, possibly Jipcho......and when the Africans boycotted, it was Walkers to lose.