Story: Athletics

John Walker breaks the mile record

In 1975 John Walker became the first person to run a mile in under three minutes, 50 seconds. Watch as he wins the race in a record-breaking time of 3 minutes 49.4 seconds, in Gothenburg, Sweden – a feat which made him world-famous.

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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, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/39967/john-walker-breaks-the-mile-record (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by David Colquhoun, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 20 Sep 2016