At the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games

1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games

The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 30 July-7 August 1954. These were the first games since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in 1952....

, the athletics events were held at Empire Stadium in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 in July and August 1954. A total of 29 athletics events were contested at the Games, 20 by men and 9 by women. A total of twenty-four Games records were set or improved over the competition, leaving just five previous best marks untouched. The 1954 edition saw the introduction of the shot put

Shot put

The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....

 and discus throw

Discus throw

The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...

 for women, as well as the first 4×110 yards relay for women (which replaced a medley relay

Sprint Medley Relay

The sprint medley relay, often abbreviated SMR, is a track and field event in which teams of four athletes compete over sprinting distances as part of a relay race. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance...

).

The men's mile run

Mile run

The mile run is a middle-distance foot race which is among the more popular events in track running.The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races...

 competition – dubbed The Miracle Mile – represented a landmark in the history of the Four-minute mile

Four-minute mile

In the sport of athletics, the four-minute mile is the act of completing the mile run in less than four minutes. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister in 3:59.4. The 'four minute barrier' has since been broken by many male athletes, and is now the standard of all male professional...

. Roger Bannister

Roger Bannister

Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...

 had been the first to have broken the barrier earlier that year, but Landy followed soon after with sub-4 minute (and world record time) 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 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. A sculpture of the race-deciding moment was later placed outside the stadium in memory of the duel.

Jim Peters, then the world record holder in the marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

, entered the stadium some seventeen minutes ahead of his nearest rival in the Games marathon. He collapsed in his final lap of the stadium, however, and did not finish the race (which was won by Joseph McGhee

Joseph McGhee

right|250pxJoseph McGhee was a Democratic politician in the U. S. State of Ohio who was Ohio Attorney General 1917-1919.-Biography:...

).

Men

100 yards		9.6 GR		9.7		9.7
220 yards		21.5		21.5		21.9
440 yards		47.2 GR		47.4		47.8
880 yards		1:50.7 GR		1:51.2		1:51.9
1 mile		3:58.8 GR		3:59.6		4:04.6
3 miles		13:35.2 GR		13:37.2		13:37.4
6 miles		29:09.4 GR		29:10.0		29:20.0
Marathon		2:39:36		2:40:57		2:51:50
120 yards hurdles		14.2 GR		14.9		14.9
440 yards hurdles		52.4 GR		53.3		53.3
High jump		2.03 m GR		1.99 m		1.99 m
Pole vault		4.26 m GR		4.20 m		4.13 m
Long jump		7.54 m GR		7.39 m		7.22 m
Triple jump		15.28 m		15.25 m		15.14 m
Shot put		16.77 m GR		14.95 m		14.93 m
Discus throw		51.70 m GR		49.53 m		47.84 m
Hammer throw		55.37 m GR		54.75 m		52.81 m
Javelin throw		68.52 m GR		68.09 m		67.50 m
4×110 yards relay	Canada Don Stonehouse Edward Springbett Harry Nelson Don McFarlane Don McFarlane Don McFarlane was a Canadian sprinter.-Life:While at Burlington High School Don played as a half-back on both the Junior and Senior Football teams and was a member of the 1948 Championship senior team...	41.3 GR	Nigeria Abdul Amu Edward Ajado Karim Olowu Muslim Arogundade	41.3	Australia Brian Oliver Brian Oliver (athlete) Brian Thomas Oliver is a retired Olympic athlete from Australia. He specialised in the triple jump and long jump events during his career.... David Lean David Lean (athlete) David Lean was an Australian athlete who competed mainly in the 440 metre hurdles and 400 metres relays.... Hector Hogan Hector Hogan Hector Denis Hogan was an Australian athlete who competed mainly in the 100 yards and 100 metres sprint, where he was 7 times Australian 100 yards champion. He also competed in the 220 yards/200 metres, which he won twice in the Australian Championships, and the long jump which he won in 1954... Kevan Gosper Kevan Gosper Kevan Gosper is a former Australian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He was formerly a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee.-1956 Summer Olympics:...	41.7
4×440 yards relay	England Alan Dick Derek Johnson Derek Johnson Derek Johnson was a British athlete, who was born in Chigwell, Essex. He did his National Service in Egypt before going up to Lincoln College, Oxford to read medicine in 1953... Peter Higgins Peter Fryer	3:11.2 GR	Canada Terry Tobacco Douglas Clement Joe Foreman Laird Sloan	3:11.6	Australia Brian Oliver Brian Oliver (athlete) Brian Thomas Oliver is a retired Olympic athlete from Australia. He specialised in the triple jump and long jump events during his career.... David Lean David Lean (athlete) David Lean was an Australian athlete who competed mainly in the 440 metre hurdles and 400 metres relays.... Don MacMillan Kevan Gosper Kevan Gosper Kevan Gosper is a former Australian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He was formerly a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee.-1956 Summer Olympics:...	3:16.0

Women

100 yards	|10.7w	|10.8w		10.8w
220 yards	|24.0 GR	|24.5	|25.0
80 metres hurdles		10.9w	|11.2w	|11.2w
High jump	|1.67 m GR	|1.60 m	|1.60 m
Long jump	|6.08 m GR	|5.84 m	|5.84 m
Shot put	|13.96 m GR	|12.98 m	|12.81 m
Discus throw	|45.01 m GR	|40.02 m	|38.66 m
Javelin throw	|43.83 m GR		41.97 m	|38.98 m
4×110 yards relay	Australia Gwen Wallace Marjorie Nelson Nancy Fogarty Winsome Cripps	46.8 GR	England Ann Pashley Heather Young Shirley Burgess Shirley Hampton	46.9	Canada Annabelle Murray Dorothy Kozak Geraldine Bemister Margery Squires	47.8

Medal table

Key:

1	England	9	9	7	25
2	Australia	6	3	4	13
3	New Zealand	4	1	0	5
4		2	2	4	8
5		1	7	7	15
6	Nigeria	1	3	2	6
7=	Pakistan	1	1	1	3
7=		1	1	1	3
9	Northern Ireland	1	1	0	2
10	Scotland	1	0	1	2
11=		1	0	0	1
11=	Trinidad and Tobago	1	0	0	1
13	Uganda	0	1	0	1
14	Wales	0	0	2	2
Total		29	29	29	87

External links

• Bannister's "Miracle Mile" video from British Pathé