Commonwealth
Games history, from a distance point of view
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
23 July 2002 – Some of the greatest distance runners in history, Murray Halberg,
Ron Clarke, Kip Keino, Ben Jipcho, Brendan Foster, and Henry Rono to name but a few,
have competed in the Commonwealth Games. They were all Olympic Champions or
world record breakers and except for Clarke, they also won Commonwealth titles.
Distance running performances at the Commonwealth Games have on many occasions led to major revisions of the all-time lists and there also been other interesting statistics as well. For example, despite many world class champions, no Commonwealth Games marathon gold medallist has ever won the Olympic marathon gold. Kenya’s Douglas Wakiihuri and Australia’s Lisa Martin, both 1990 Commonwealth Games champions, came closest having also won silver medals at the marathon in the 1988 Olympics.
One of the classic long distance races in the Commonwealth Games history took place in the 1958 Games. The three mile field in Cardiff was loaded with all the top names of the day and the field remained bunched together after eight laps. There the race suddenly broke open when Murray Halberg the future Olympic 5000m champion and a protégé of Arthur Lydiard surged into the lead. He ran the final three laps in 3:11.4 and won by nearly 10 seconds in 13:14.75. The race was a perfect prelude to the Olympics two years later. In Rome, Halberg employed essentially the same tactics to win Olympic gold, attacking with three laps to go; he ran 61 and 64 seconds for the next two laps to run away from the field, just as he had done in Cardiff.
The next significant distance race in the history of the Commonwealths was the six miles in the 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica with the emergence of the East Africans as the dominant force in distance races.
In Kingston, Ron Clarke of Australia, the world record holder at 3 and 6 miles, as well as for 5000m/10,000m stood out as the outstanding favourite. He led the race at half way in near world record pace, yet he could not shake off Naftali Temu. In the lap 21 it was Temu who surged with a 62.6 seconds lap and won the race unchallenged. Thus Temu became the first Kenyan to win a major championship gold. Two years later, Temu became the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold medal.
The 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh was one of the best for distance race fans. The marathon at the Games pitched history's fastest marathon runner Australia’s Derek Clayton (2:08:34) with the second fastest, England’s Ron Hill, third fastest, Bill Adcocks and the fifth fastest, Jerome Drayton. The race did not disappoint. Drayton set almost suicidal pace (23:31 at 5 miles), but Hill still surged away at 8 miles. He passed the 1/2 marathon in 1:02:35, an unprecedented pace at the time. He eventually slowed down but still won comfortably in 2:09:28, the second fastest time in history.
A victory by a local athlete is always special. In 1970 Edinburgh Games, Lachie Stewart and Ian Stewart did just that at the 10,000m and 5000m respectively, the later with the European record. Sixteen years later, again in Edinburgh, Liz Lynch (later McColgan) also accomplished the same feat. More significantly Lynch's win took the inaugural women's 10,000m, the first time the distance had been run in one of the major Championships.
The men's 5000m in the 1970 Games was expected to be the highlight, and it indeed that's what it turned out to be. Thanks to Dick Taylor who took over the race in lap two, the race turned out to be quite fast, yet six men were still together at 4000m (10:52). It was first Ian McCafferty with two to go, and then Ian Stewart with 450m to go, who attempted to win the race for Scotland.
Stewart ran the last 200m in 26.4, and won in a European record, 13:22.8, with McCafferty second in 13:23.4. They moved up to second and third fastest performers at the 5000m.
Four years later, the Christchurch Games in New Zealand was another distance running paradise. With the gritty English front runner David Bedford pushing the pace, the lead pack was running under the world record pace at 3000m (8:06). The race continued to be quite fast (5000m in 13:47), and only fellow Englishman Dave Black and three Kenyans - Mose, Juma and Kiingi - were able to stay with Bedford.
Meanwhile Richard Tayler of New Zealand, heeding advice from Arthur Lydiard stayed away from the fast pace until lap 16 where he regained contact with the leaders. Six laps later, with 1100m to go, Black made his bit for victory, and only Tayler was able to cover the move. They ran together for the next two laps, before Tayler broke away and won in 27:46.4. He thus moved up to sixth fastest performer of all time, while Dave Black who finished second with 27:48.6 became the tenth fastest performer.
The 5000m race in Christchurch was no less fascinating; Kenya’s Ben Jipcho and England’s Brendan Foster recorded 13:14.4 and 13:14.6 respectively and moved up to second and third in the all-time list. Dave Bedford, as expected, led the race during its early stages. When Bedford faded Dave Black took over the lead. Foster struck at sixth lap, to which only Jipcho responded.
However, his move was tentative, and Black caught up with Foster and Jipcho. Finally with 800m to go Foster made an earnest attempt to win. Jipcho stayed with Foster, while Black fell back. Jipcho followed Foster and then moved ahead in the home straight. He opened up daylight on Foster in the final 10m, thus completing a memorable 5000m / Steeplechase double.
The Games has continued to attract several top distance runners.
Henry Rono easily won 3000mSC/5000m double in 1978, the year in which he set world records at 5000m, 10,000m and steeplechase.
John Ngugi, the 1988 Olympic Champion finished second at 5000m in 1990 Auckland Games. Ngugi fell during the second lap, but not only did he make up some 30m deficit in one lap, he immediately surged away from the lead pack. He was some 40m ahead at the bell, but Australia’s Andrew Lloyd pulled along by Wales’ Ian Hammer nipped Ngugi at the tape.
In the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games, Kenya's former world 5000m record holder, Daniel Komen won the 5000m after a 58 seconds penultimate lap.
By the 1990's, not all the best runners still wanted to compete in the Games.
However, most of the top finishers at the 2002 Kenyan Championships including this year's sensation Paul Kosgei and Ben Limo will be competing in Manchester at this month's Commonwealth Games.
Paul Kosgei, a junior record holder at the 3000m steeplechase, ran 3000mSC and 10,000m at the 1999 and 2001 Worlds respectively. He was seventh both times. Kosgei made a major breakthrough earlier this year, having won the IAAF World Half Marathon and ran the fastest 10,000m at altitude (27:44.14).
The showdown between Paula Radcliffe and Edith Masai should also be one of the highlights of the Games. In this year's IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Radcliffe won the long course, while Masai won the short course titles. They are co-favourites for the 5000m gold in Manchester. Radcliffe will attempt to win her first major title on the track, and judging from Monaco Golden League 3000m, both women are in fantastic form.
