World Record: 3:36.0 Herb Elliott, Australia Göteborg, Sweden 28th August 1958
Olympic Record: 3:41.2 Ron Delany, Ireland Melbourne, Australia
1st December 1956
Elliott was the fastest qualifier with 3:41.4 (3:41.50), the other heats
being won by Bernard – 3:42.2 (3:42.34) – and Waern – 3:43.9
(3:44.18), with Terence Sullivan (Rhodesia) the unluckiest in the heats,
clocking 3:42.8 (3:42.96) in Elliott’s heat but placing a non-qualifying
fourth.
Bernard took the lead in the final, with Waern and the surprising
Vamoș following the Frenchman’s quick pace through 200m in 28.3
and 400 in 58.2. The order was the same at the end of a slower second
400m of 59.6, with the eighth 100m segment the slowest of the race at
15.3. Elliott then struck, running his next 100m in 13.2. No-one had
ever broken open the Olympic 1500m at such an early stage, but only
Rózsavölgyi and Jazy could initially go with Elliott. By the end of the
third lap, covered in 56.2 seconds, the Aussie had 3m on his pursuers;
his next two 100m segments of 13.4 and 13.6 extended that to almost
15m, and even though he slowed slightly in the last 100m, 14.4 he went
through the tape almost 20m clear of Jazy. Rózsavölgyi was third some
5m clear of Dan Waern. Elliott had been inspired four years earlier by
the exploits of Vladimir Kuts in Melbourne and, with a world record
here, superseded his hero. Elliott, thought of as exhibiting a killer
instinct, particularly in this race, later noted that “the greatest stimula-
tor of my running was fear”.
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