Clarke elevated to Legend Status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame

Champion distance runner Ron Clarke AO MBE has been elevated to Legend status in the nation’s most prestigious sporting club, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Clarke was one of the 120 inaugural athlete Members to be officially inducted in 1985. He was one of the world’s greatest distance runners, etching his name into Australian sporting history with his record-breaking achievements, fierce determination and grace and humility on and off the track.

The annual elevation of Sport Australia Hall of Fame Members to Legend status is the most prestigious sporting honour that can be bestowed on an Australian. Legend status provides an opportunity to celebrate and honour Members who have distinguished themselves at the highest level and their achievements are considered part of Australian folklore.

“Ron Clarke is the true definition of Legends. Inspirations to all Australians. We are thrilled to announce his well-deserved elevation to Legend status within the Sport Australia Hall of Fame,” said Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legend and Chair John Bertrand AO.

Sport Australia Hall of Fame Members must be retired for 15 years before being considered for elevation to Legend status. The annual elevation of Legend/s is voted by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Board based on recommendations by the Selection Committee.

On Thursday night, in the television special Sport Australia Hall of Fame: Heroes and Legends on the Seven Network, marathon runner Steve Moneghetti AM and Clarke’s son, Marcus, will pay tribute to the great and now officially, Legend.

RON CLARKE AO MBE
In a remarkable career, Ron Clarke broke 17 official world records, including 12 in an extraordinary 44-day tour of Europe in 1965 and held every world record from two miles to the one-hour run.

Albeit Clarke’s dominance, he did not yield the Olympic gold medal which had seemed his destiny, but his sixth in Mexico City in 1968 proved to be one of the Games’ most courageous, although distressing moments.

Clarke started as the gold medal favourite in the 10,000m, but the dangerously thin air in the high-altitude conditions not only cost him any chance of success it almost cost him his life. He would say: “I died after it, my heart stopped for a few beats.”

His determined pursuit of a medal pushed him on, even when his body was willing him to stop. He kept running even when the chance of a medal was gone.

Clarke was gasping for air and collapsed as he fell over the line. The image of Australian team doctor Brian Corrigan, with a hand held to his head in despair while administering oxygen to Clarke, remains one of the most distressing in Olympic Games history. It wasn’t until years later that Clarke found out about the damage that had been done to his heart.

Clarke received a host of honours in recognition of his achievements in 1965. He was voted BBC International Sportsman of the Year, World Sportsman of the Year by the International Association of Sports Writers, Australian Sportsman of the Year, and Athlete of the Year by the prestigious Track and Field News (USA) and World Sports (UK). The French Academy of Sport selected him as its World Sportsman of the Year in 1966.

During his flurry of races in 1965 two significant performances stood out, in London when he became the first man to run three miles under 13 minutes and then four days later in Oslo taking 36.2 seconds off the 10,000m world record. He was also, at 19 years old, was chosen by Melbourne Olympic officials to light the cauldron at the 1956 Games.

He competed in three Commonwealth Games - Perth in 1962, Kingston in 1966 and Edinburgh in 1970 - and won a total of four silver medals. He represented Australia in two Olympic Games, Tokyo in 1964 and Mexico City in 1968. In Tokyo he was ninth in the 5000m, won bronze in the 10,000m and was eighth in the marathon. In Mexico City he finished sixth in the 10,000m and fifth in the 5000m.

In 2013 Clarke was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) “for distinguished service to the community through a range of leadership roles with local government and philanthropic organisations and to the promotion of athletics.” In 1966, he became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and was also Mayor of the Gold Coast City Council.

By Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Posted: 5/12/2022