Athletics at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Men's 1 mile

The men's 1 mile event at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games was held on 6 and 7 August at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, Canada.

The final race – dubbed The Miracle Mile – represented a landmark in the history of the Four-minute mile. Roger Bannister had been the first to have broken the barrier earlier that year, but John Landy followed soon after with sub-4 minute (and world record time of 3:58.0) of his own. The games offered the first time that two sub-4 minute runners had duelled against each other. Landy led until the final curve, at which point he turned left to gauge Bannister's position. Bannister took the opportunity to overtake him on his blind side and he edged out a victory over Landy with a time of 3:58.8 minutes. Landy also ran under four minutes, representing the first time two men had done so in the same race.Bryant, John (2005). 3:59.4: The Quest to Break the Four Minute Mile. Arrow Books Ltd. . A sculpture of the race-deciding moment was later placed outside the stadium in memory of the duel.

Medalists GoldSilverBronzeRoger BannisterJohn LandyRich Ferguson

Results Heats

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) qualify directly for the final. Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes 1 1 Murray Halberg 4:07.4 Q, GR 2 1 Rich Ferguson 4:07.8 Q 3 1 Roger Bannister 4:08.4 Q 4 1 David Law 4:08.6 Q 5 1 John Disley 4:09.0 6 1 Don MacMillan 4:11.6 7 1 John Moule 4:17.2 1 Edwin Warren 1 James Daly 1 2 Bill Baillie 4:11.4 Q 2 2 Victor Milligan 4:11.4 Q 3 2 John Landy 4:11.4 Q 4 2 Ian Boyd 4:11.6 Q 5 2 Bill Parnell 4:13.8 6 2 Chris Brasher 4:15.4 7 2 Edward Morton 4:23.2 2 Jim Bailey

Final

Rank Name Nationality Time Notes Roger Bannister 3:58.8 GR John Landy 3:59.6 Rich Ferguson 4:04.6 4 Victor Milligan 4:05.0 5 Murray Halberg 4:07.2 6 Ian Boyd 4:07.2 7 Bill Baillie 4:11.0 David Law

References