# John Landy
**John Landy** (John Michael Landy, 12 April 1930 – 24 February 2022) was an Australian middle-distance runner who became the second man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes, breaking [Roger Bannister](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-bannister)'s world record with 3:57.9 at Turku, Finland, on 21 June 1954[1](https://worldathletics.org/news/news/50-years-on-john-landy-reflects) • [2](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/64724). He later served as the 26th [Governor of Victoria](https://www.edgepedia.org/governor-of-victoria) from 2001 to 2006[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Melbourne, 1930; died 24 February 2022, aged 91[4](https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/news/general-news/johnlandy/) • [5](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/17207) |
| Mile world record | 3:57.9 at Turku, Finland, 21 June 1954, 46 days after Bannister's 3:59.4; rounded to 3:58.0 under the rules of the day[1](https://worldathletics.org/news/news/50-years-on-john-landy-reflects) |
| 1500 m world record | 3:41.8, set in the same Turku race[6](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/) |
| Olympic medals | Bronze in the 1500 m at Melbourne 1956, behind Ron Delany of Ireland and Klaus Richtzenhain of Germany; read the Olympic Oath at the opening ceremony[7](https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/john-landy/) |
| Commonwealth Games | Silver in the mile at the 1954 Vancouver Games, the "Mile of the Century" against Bannister[8](https://commonwealthgames.com.au/athletes/john-landy/) |
| Governor of Victoria | 26th Governor, 1 January 2001 to 7 April 2006[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/) |
| Honors | MBE (1955), Companion of the Order of Australia (2001), Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (2006); Sport Australia Hall of Fame 1985, elevated to Legend in 2005[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/) |
## Early career and the four-minute mile
Landy took up running seriously while studying for a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at the [University of Melbourne](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-melbourne), having first seen the sport as training for [Australian rules football](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-rules-football)[5](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/17207) • [6](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/). He was coached by Percy Cerutty from 1950, and at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics he failed to progress beyond his 1500 m heat but ran with and observed Emil Zatopek, the Czech runner who won the 5000 m, 10,000 m, and marathon at those Games[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/). Adopting Zatopek's punishing repetition training, he cut his times sharply: in December 1952 he ran 4:02.1 for the mile, an Australian record just 0.7 seconds outside the world record[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/).
The race to break four minutes for the mile drew worldwide attention through 1953 and 1954, with Landy, Bannister, and the American Wes Santee pursuing the barrier independently[9](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/sports-fitness-recreation-and-leisure-magazines/sir-bannister-roger-gilbert). On 6 May 1954 Bannister ran 3:59.4 at Oxford's Iffley Road track, the first officially recognized sub-four-minute mile[10](https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/john-landy-obituary). Only 46 days later, on 21 June 1954 at Turku, Landy, running unaided from the front, ran 3:57.9, taking the world record and becoming the second man under four minutes[1](https://worldathletics.org/news/news/50-years-on-john-landy-reflects). In the same race he set a world 1500 m record of 3:41.8[6](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/). His mile record stood for more than three years[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/).
## The Mile of the Century
The two record-holders met for the first time in the one-mile race at the [British Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-empire) and [Commonwealth Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/commonwealth-games) in Vancouver on 7 August 1954, in a race billed as the "Mile of the Century" and later known as the "Miracle Mile"[11](https://www.miraclemile1954.com/the-race/) • [12](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/01/archive-1954-roger-bannister-wins-miracle-mile-commonwealth-games). Landy, a front runner, led by about 10 meters at the bell; on the last bend he glanced across his left shoulder, and Bannister swept past on the right to win in 3:58.8, with Landy taking silver, both men under four minutes[13](https://www.englandathletics.org/news/sir-roger-bannister-1929-2018/) • [3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/). The race was heard on radio by 100 million people[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/), and a life-sized sculpture of the passing moment stands outside the Vancouver stadium[8](https://commonwealthgames.com.au/athletes/john-landy/).
## The Ron Clarke race
**The sportsmanship incident.** During the Australian mile championship at Olympic Park, Melbourne, in March 1956, junior 1500 m record-holder [Ron Clarke](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-clarke) fell on the third lap, and Landy, leaping to avoid him, spiked his arm[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/) • [6](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/). Landy pulled up, trotted back to check that Clarke was not seriously hurt, apologized, then chased down the field and won the race in 4:04.2, an effort that cost him perhaps up to seven seconds and any chance of a world record[6](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/). The Sport Australia Hall of Fame named it the nation's finest sporting moment of the 20th century in 1999, and a sculpture called *Sportsmanship* stands across the road from Olympic Park[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/). Landy himself regarded the attention as disproportionate, saying it was not the most significant thing he did in running[6](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/).
## Melbourne 1956 and retirement
In early 1956 Landy ran two sub-four-minute miles in Melbourne, the first times the barrier had been broken inside Australia[10](https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/john-landy-obituary). At the Melbourne Olympics he read the [Olympic Oath](https://www.edgepedia.org/olympic-oath) at the opening ceremony and won the bronze medal in the 1500 m behind Ron Delany of Ireland and Klaus Richtzenhain of West Germany, despite tendon damage from running on hard American tracks while promoting the Games[7](https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/john-landy/) • [6](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/). He retired from the track in 1957[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/).
## Later life
After athletics, Landy became a senior manager at ICI Australia, served on the Victorian Land Conservation Council, and wrote books on natural history as an avid naturalist, photographer, and environmentalist[5](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/17207). He was made an MBE in 1955 for services to amateur athletics, a Companion of the [Order of Australia](https://www.edgepedia.org/order-of-australia) in 2001, and a [Commander](https://www.edgepedia.org/commander) of the [Royal Victorian Order](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-victorian-order) in 2006[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/). Appointed the 26th Governor of Victoria on 1 January 2001, he retired from the post on 7 April 2006, and on 15 March 2006 ran the final leg of the Queen's Baton Relay at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games opening ceremony[3](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/). He died on 24 February 2022, aged 91[4](https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/news/general-news/johnlandy/).
## References
1. [50 years on, John Landy reflects, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/news/news/50-years-on-john-landy-reflects)
2. [Olympedia – John Landy](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/64724)
3. [John Landy, Sport Australia Hall of Fame](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/john-landy/amp/)
4. [John Landy Victorian Parliament condolence motion, Parliament of Victoria](https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/news/general-news/johnlandy/)
5. [John Landy, Athlete & Governor of Victoria (1930-2022), Museums Victoria](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/17207)
6. [John Landy (2004), Australian Athletics Hall of Fame](https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/john-landy/)
7. [John Landy, Australian Olympic Committee](https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/john-landy/)
8. [John Landy Results, Commonwealth Games Australia](https://commonwealthgames.com.au/athletes/john-landy/)
9. [Sir Bannister, Roger Gilbert, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/sports-fitness-recreation-and-leisure-magazines/sir-bannister-roger-gilbert)
10. [Former world record-holder Landy dies, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/john-landy-obituary)
11. [The Race – The Miracle Mile 1954](https://www.miraclemile1954.com/the-race/)
12. [Archive, 1954: Roger Bannister wins the 'Miracle Mile', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/01/archive-1954-roger-bannister-wins-miracle-mile-commonwealth-games)
13. [Sir Roger Bannister: 1929-2018, England Athletics](https://www.englandathletics.org/news/sir-roger-bannister-1929-2018/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Middle and long-distance track runners*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license