- Filbert Bayi
Filbert Bayi (born
June 23 ,1953 ) was aTanzanian middle-distance runner of the 1970s who set the world records for1500 metres in 1974 and the mile in 1975.Career
Born in
Arusha , Tanzania, his greatest moment was arguably the 1500 m final at the1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch,New Zealand , when he won the gold medal ahead of New Zealand runner John Walker and KenyanBen Jipcho . Bayi set a new world record of 3 min 32.16 s, ratified by theIAAF as 3:32.2, and Walker went under the old world record set byJim Ryun as well. Third place Jipcho, fourth placeRod Dixon , and fifth place Graham Crouch also ran the fourth, fifth, and seventh fastest 1500 m times to that date. It is still classed as one of the greatest 1500 m races of all time. There was no jockeying for position in the race; Bayi led from the beginning in a fast pace and was 20 metres ahead at 800 metres, the other runners strung out in a line behind him.In 1975, Bayi broke Ryun's eight-year-old mile record by clocking 3:51.0 in
Kingston, Jamaica on 17 May. The record was short-lived as Walker became history's first sub-3:50 miler on 12 August of the same year, running 3:49.4 atGoteborg .It was hoped that the Bayi-Walker clash would continue but, because Tanzania boycotted the
1976 Summer Olympics inMontreal , it never materialized. However, since Bayi was suffering from a bout of malaria shortly before the Olympics, he may not have been able to challenge Walker even had there been no boycott.Bayi won a silver medal in the 3,000 m steeplechase at the
1980 Summer Olympics inMoscow . He ran 8:12.5 behind Bronislaw Malinowski.He won 1500 race at the 1973 All-Africa Games, leaving the famous
Kipchoge Keino to silver. Bayi successfully defended his title in the 1978 All-Africa GamesLater life
After retirement Bayi has spent much effort in setting up the Filbert Bayi Foundation which aims to guide young sporting talent in Tanzania. It is based in
Mkuza , about 50 km fromDar es Salaam . The complex also aims to educate young people aboutHIV andAIDS , plus ways of getting out ofpoverty . The foundation started in 2003. Bayi has also opened a Primary and Nursery school based in Kimara, as well as the Secondary school which is based in Kibaha. The schools have been partnered with Barlby High School as part of the Dreams and Teams project set up by theBritish Council /Youth Sport Trust . The school hosted students fromBarlby High School in January - February 2008.External links
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufx7luXlqVw 1974 Commonwealth Games 800 and 1500m] - YouTube video
* [http://www.filbertbayischools.com/ Filbert Bayi Schools - Homepage]
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