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Story: Athletics

Rod Dixon, 1972 Olympics

Rod Dixon, 1972 Olympics

Rod Dixon (foreground, in black) was a top New Zealand runner in the 1970s. He produced a string of world-class performances from the 1,500 metres up to the marathon. Here he is running the 1,500 metres at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He finished third in the final, winning a bronze medal. Also visible, on Dixon's left, is Pekka Vasala from Finland, who won the final.

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How to cite this page

David Colquhoun, Athletics – The golden era continues, 1970 to 1990, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/39965/rod-dixon-1972-olympics (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by David Colquhoun, published 30 November 2012, updated 20 September 2016.

Comments

Peter
19 May 2014
The photo above shows not the final, but semifinal of the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The picture shows some people that were not in the final. For example, Franco Arese (Italy, No 500), and the Swedish runner Gunnar Ekman behind him. Leading in front of Dixon are the eventual Olympic champion Pekka Vasala from Finland (No 226)and Paul-Heinz Wellmann (West Germany, No 408). Shadowed behind Dixon is Brendan Foster of Great Britain (he made the final), and shadowed behind Arese is Robert Wheeler of USA (he did not).