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On August 7, 1954 during the Empire Games (now called the Commonwealth Games) in Vancouver, B.C., Roger Bannister of England and John Landy and Australia met for the first time at the newly constructed Empire Stadium (which was later demolished in 1993)
But the forgotten part of this Commonwealth Games history was a showdown between the 100 yards world indoor record holder Mike Agostini of Trinidad and the 100 yard world outdoor record holder Hector Hogan of Australia.
Today, the World’s Fastest Human would be the headlines. However, the Miracle Mile would steal the show: the match between history’s only sub-4 minute milers, Roger Bannister and John Landy.
In this interview, Sprints coach and career sports journalist Mike Hurst (read my Friday Five Interview here) sits down with Mike Agostini, now 79, to recall the occasion 60 years ago when he was touted as the “World’s Fastest Human” after breaking a 30-year-old world record in his jogging shoes!
By 1956, Mike Agostini would later set the WR for the 100yd dash in 9.3 and 220yd in 20.1
In 1958 at the British Empire Games and Commonwealth Games, Mike would win a Bronze medal for Canada (not Trinidad) in 9.79 seconds… for 100 yards. Why the change? Listen to the podcast and find out why.
I highly recommend listening to this great conversation.
Mike Agostini today. Photo credits: Mike Hurst
Interview with Mike Agostini
Presenter: Mike Hurst
Broadcast Date: July 2014
Duration: 37:00
File Size: 33.5 Mb
MIKE AGOSTINI : Career stats compiled by Mel Watman UPDATE May 2, 2016
Dates denoted by dd/mm
1953: 9.4 Kingston 15/4 (1st= world list); 10.6 Kingston 3/1; 21.1y Kingston 15/4 (3rd= world list)
1954: 9.6 St Louis 18/6; 21.5y St Louis 19/6 [Commonwealth Games, Vancouver: 1st 9.6, 4th sf 22.3]
Set world indoor 100y best of 9.6 Washington 23/1
1955: 9.4 Fresno 14/5 (2nd= world list); 10.3A Mexico City 14/3 (1st= world list) & 10.4 Port of Spain 7/5; 21.3A Mexico City 15/3 [Pan American Games: 2nd 10.4, 4th 21.4]
1956: 9.3 Long Beach 5/5 (=world rec but not ratified) + 3 marks of 9.4; 10.4 Berkeley 16/6; 20.1y straight Bakersfield 17/3 (world rec but not ratified); 21.1 Melbourne 26/11 [Olympics: 6th 10.7, 4th 21.1]
1957: 9.5 Tempe 29/3 + 4 other at 9.5 & 9.4w Melbourne 14/2; 20.4y straight Fresno 25/4 (1st= world list); 21.1y Newcastle NSW 6/1
1958: 9.5 Dublin 6/8; 10.2 Cologne 29/8 (1st= world list), 20.9 Oslo 5.9 & Paris 7/9; 21.0y Dublin 7/8; 20.6 half turn Cologne 29/8
1959: 9.4 Wangaratta Vic 18/4 & 9.3w Hamilton Vic 11/4; 10.3 Caroni 30/5; 21.1w Chicago 31/8 {Pan American Games: 2nd 10.4, 3rd 21.1w]
1960: 10.4 Melbourne 4/5
According to a Fred Wilt’s training profile in AW (13/8/60) Mike’s pbs were 60y-6.1, 100y-9.3, 100m-10.2, 120y-11.1, 130y-12.2, 200m/220y str-20.1, 300y-30.6, 340y-35.6, 400m-47.2, 440y relay leg-46.7, 660y-1:20.5.
Jimson Lee
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