Story: Olympic and Commonwealth games

Jack Lovelock wins the 1,500 metres, Berlin, 1936

This film clip shows Jack Lovelock's victory in the 1,500 metres at the Berlin Olympics, in 1936. Lovelock won in world record time, 3 minutes, 47.8 seconds. The field included such great middle-distance runners as the American Glenn Cunningham, who came second, and the third place getter, Italian runner Luigi Beccali, whose world record Lovelock broke. The commentary on this newsreel clip is a different one from the radio commentary by Harold Abrahams, which became famously linked to the Berlin 1,500 metres.

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Archives New Zealand – Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
Reference: The years back – the thirties. National Film Unit, 1971

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How to cite this page:

Joseph Romanos, 'Olympic and Commonwealth games - The early days of the Olympics', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/37890/jack-lovelock-wins-the-1500-metres-berlin-1936 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Joseph Romanos, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 1 Jun 2023