Rick Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Richard Charles Mitchell (born 24 March 1955 in Sydney
) is an Australian triple Olympian who competed in the 400 metres.
Commencing in athletics at the relatively late age of seventeen, he joined the Waverley Athletics Club in Melbourne
in 1972 with the aim of improving his fitness before the following rugby union
season. After two seasons with Waverley, Mitchell met coach Norm Osborne, who coached at St Stephens Harriers. He transferred to St Stephens and they would work as coach and athlete for the remainder of Mitchell's career.
At age nineteen Mitchell placed second in the Australian 400 metre title in 1974 when five days too old to contest the junior title in a time of 47.7s and things looked promising. However, he was to miss the full off season build up following a bout of glandular fever and despite lowering his personal best to 46.8s, Mitchell placed second again to Steven Gee from New South Wales
.
The following off season in 1975 saw Mitchell complete his first dedicated build up and he quickly emerged as the dominant Australian 400 metre runner during the following summer, defeating Gee for the first time in December 1975, before equalling the Australian record of 45.7s and claiming both the Victorian and Australian titles easily.
Mitchell was chosen in the Australian team for the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal
and in a competition notable for disappointing Australian performances, he reached the Olympic Final on his international debut, finishing 6th in an Australian record.
Two years later Mitchell competed in his first 1978 Commonwealth Games
in Edmonton, Canada, where in extremely windy conditiond he proved too strong for his opponents, taking the individual 400 metre gold medal and anchoring the 4x400 metre relay team to third place.
Mitchell elected not to contest the 1979 World Cup, preferring to remain in Australia to build up for the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow
in similar fashion to the preparation he followed in 1975. He again dominated the domestic season, lowering the national 400 metre record on four occasion as well as winning the Victoria
n 200 / 400 metre sprint double and again claiming the national title. In that race Mitchell lowered the national record to 45.35s in thrashing a field where the runner up ran 46.80.
Named as Australian team captain, Mitchell enjoyed good lead up form, winning at his first run after the national titles in Pisa, before defeating a strong,largely American field in Stuttgart
in an Australian record, before contesting the Olympics. In Moscow he easily reached his second Olympic final. The race itself was won by Russian Viktor Markin
in a European record of 44.60s (The fastest time in the world for three seasons), while Mitchell finished strongly to take the silver medal in 44.84s. This time was the 12th fastest in history (full electronic timing) and was a Commonwealth record. Third placegetter, Frank Schaffer of East Germany, produced the fastest time ever for third outside of the altitude influenced Olympics conducted in Mexico City in 1968.
Mitchell then continued to race in Europe, where he frequently met American athletes who had not contested the Olympic Games following America's boycott of the meeting over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. However Mitchell defeated all of the prominent Americans during this time. He remained unbeaten against Billy Mullins with whom he shared the equal second fastest time of the year and was ranked second for the year over 400 metres by Track and Field News ahead of all American athletes.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
) is an Australian triple Olympian who competed in the 400 metres.
Commencing in athletics at the relatively late age of seventeen, he joined the Waverley Athletics Club in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1972 with the aim of improving his fitness before the following rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
season. After two seasons with Waverley, Mitchell met coach Norm Osborne, who coached at St Stephens Harriers. He transferred to St Stephens and they would work as coach and athlete for the remainder of Mitchell's career.
At age nineteen Mitchell placed second in the Australian 400 metre title in 1974 when five days too old to contest the junior title in a time of 47.7s and things looked promising. However, he was to miss the full off season build up following a bout of glandular fever and despite lowering his personal best to 46.8s, Mitchell placed second again to Steven Gee from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
The following off season in 1975 saw Mitchell complete his first dedicated build up and he quickly emerged as the dominant Australian 400 metre runner during the following summer, defeating Gee for the first time in December 1975, before equalling the Australian record of 45.7s and claiming both the Victorian and Australian titles easily.
Mitchell was chosen in the Australian team for the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and in a competition notable for disappointing Australian performances, he reached the Olympic Final on his international debut, finishing 6th in an Australian record.
Two years later Mitchell competed in his first 1978 Commonwealth Games
1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec...
in Edmonton, Canada, where in extremely windy conditiond he proved too strong for his opponents, taking the individual 400 metre gold medal and anchoring the 4x400 metre relay team to third place.
Mitchell elected not to contest the 1979 World Cup, preferring to remain in Australia to build up for the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in similar fashion to the preparation he followed in 1975. He again dominated the domestic season, lowering the national 400 metre record on four occasion as well as winning the Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n 200 / 400 metre sprint double and again claiming the national title. In that race Mitchell lowered the national record to 45.35s in thrashing a field where the runner up ran 46.80.
Named as Australian team captain, Mitchell enjoyed good lead up form, winning at his first run after the national titles in Pisa, before defeating a strong,largely American field in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
in an Australian record, before contesting the Olympics. In Moscow he easily reached his second Olympic final. The race itself was won by Russian Viktor Markin
Viktor Markin
Viktor Fyodorovich Markin is a former Soviet athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics....
in a European record of 44.60s (The fastest time in the world for three seasons), while Mitchell finished strongly to take the silver medal in 44.84s. This time was the 12th fastest in history (full electronic timing) and was a Commonwealth record. Third placegetter, Frank Schaffer of East Germany, produced the fastest time ever for third outside of the altitude influenced Olympics conducted in Mexico City in 1968.
Mitchell then continued to race in Europe, where he frequently met American athletes who had not contested the Olympic Games following America's boycott of the meeting over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. However Mitchell defeated all of the prominent Americans during this time. He remained unbeaten against Billy Mullins with whom he shared the equal second fastest time of the year and was ranked second for the year over 400 metres by Track and Field News ahead of all American athletes.