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Landy Cracks World Mile Record Australian Covers Distance in 3:58.4 Young Agricultural Student Shaves 1 .4 Seconds Off Time Set by Bannister Last Month By CARL LINDQUIST United Press Sports Writer TURKU, Finland, June 21.— Streamlined John Landy of Australia "surprised" himself and the track world today when he raced to a 3:58 world record for the mile, which shattered the four-minute barrier for the second time within two months. The 23-year-old agricultural student clipped 1.4 seconds off the 3:59.4 .world record set at Oxford on May 6 by British medical student Roger Bannister when he ran quarters of 58, 59, 62 and a closing 59 j seconds. | "It was a surprise to me," Landy said * breathlessly when he learned of his fantastic feat. "I never thought breaking Ban- j nisters record would go so smoothly." Enroute to his mile mark, Landy, whose best previous mile was a 4:02 performance at Melbourne on June 27, 1953, set a new mark, for 1,500 meters. His time for that distance was 3:41.8,- shaving 1.2 seconds from the 3 : 43 record which Swedens Guner j Haegg established in 1944 and which, subsequently, was matched by Swedens Len- j nart Strand and Germanys Werner Luegg. Once again it was little red-haired Chris Chataway of England who pushed a riVal 1 through the four-minute barrier which, for decades, had been the tantalizing lure of trackmen. Chataway, second to Bannister in his record run, flew to Finland especially to run against Landy. And he was second once more, this time in 4:04. Erkki Kallia, a firm, set that first lap pace of 58 seconds as Landy made his record run in this tiny city on the banks of the Baltic less than 100 miles from the Soviet border. Landy lay second with Chataway third. Then Landy took over .with his easy, rolling stride, and was clocked at 1:57 at the half, with Chataway still on his heels. Landy hit the three-quarter mark in 2:59, with Chataway still shadowing him, and it was only his tremendous stretch sprint which left the Briton 40 yards back as he hit the tape. The happy Landy listed four necessary requisites for his record run: good physical condition, a good track, no wind and "mental zip." Today I had all four," he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I have waited a long time for this," he bubbled. "From the start the track was in good condition, the air was easy to breath and I felt strong and on the offensive. "We got off to a wonderful "start with Kallia setting a magnificent pace," he added. "I knew that this was the time to go all out, so, I took over the lead at 700 meters and then I knew it was up to me alone." Helge Lehmusvuori, secretary of the Finnish Athletic Association, said that the new record would be sent immediately to the International Amateur Athlete Federation for recognition. "There was no wind and all time arrangements were in accordance with international rules, so there is no question but what the record will be accepted," he said.
