John Davies

Born 1938 Essex, died 21 July 2003. Olympian 168

John Davies came to New Zealand in 1953, attended Otago Boys’ High School and then shifted to Tokoroa in his late teens.

He had a natural affinity for running from an early age and in 1956 set School records over 880 yards and the mile and was third in the national junior 880 yards. His foray into the senior ranks saw him finish third in the 1960 New Zealand 880 yards in Invercargill behind winner Peter Snell who recorded 1:53.9 and Gerry Hack. A year later in Hamilton he was third again behind Gary Philpott and Hack.

By 1962 Davies was evolving into an international class runner reducing his mile time to 4:02.5. He also embarked on taking out a mortgage on the New Zealand mile title winning it in 1962 and then for the next four years.

Davies was selected for the 880 yards and the mile at the 1962 Perth British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He was fourth in his heat of the 880 yards and fourth in the semi-final just missing out on the final won by Peter Snell from Jamaican George Kerr. In the mile Davies was second in his heat and went on to claim the silver medal, half a second behind Snell.

On the 15th of February 1963 in Dunedin before the Queen Davies ran his first sub four minute mile finishing second to Snell in 3:58.8.

The next year was a big year for Davies being the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Along with Snell he was selected for the 1500m. In the heats he was second and in the semi-final was third in a desperate finish to make the top four for the final. Wearing 467 (a lucky omen, because that was the number that Jack Lovelock wore during his 1500m gold medal run in Berlin in 1936), Davies and Alan Simpson were disputing the silver medal until Josef Odlozil of Czechoslovakia darted down the outside, pipping Davies for the silver. Davies held on for the bronze medal. With Peter Snell winning the gold medal it was the first time two New Zealanders had won medals in the same Olympic event.

He then had a successful campaign on the American indoor circuits in early 1965 recording three wins, and a second over the mile. He also competed in Europe recording six wins including a fast 3000m in 7:51.0. At the time the world record was 7:49.0. Unfortunately on this tour he injured his Achilles tendon and was forced into retirement before reaching his peak.

Davies then moved into sports administration and coaching. He was a top middle distance and distance coach and among the athletes he coached were Lorraine Moller, Dick Quax, Mike Ryan, Anne Audain, Phil Clode, Toni Hodgkinson and Melissa Moon.
He was coach with the athletic team to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and coach to the 1987 and 1991 world championships.

Davies was a TV commentator on athletics starting at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch and carrying on to a number of Commonwealth and Olympic Games and international meetings in New Zealand.

Together with Dick Quax they formed a successful promotions team and organised the annual international track and field series for nearly a decade, bringing top overseas athletes to New Zealand. They also promoted a series of business-house runs in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

He was on the board of Athletics New Zealand for five years from 1989 and was a member of the Board of Directors of the XIVth Commonwealth Games Company Ltd for the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games. He was elected president of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, in October 2000 and a position he held up to his death in July 2003. He was awarded the Leonard Cuff medal by the International Olympic Academy for promoting Olympism, only weeks before he died of melanoma.

In the 1990 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Davies was awarded an MBE, for services to athletics.

He was inspirational and believed that sport was more than just competition and more than just medal winning but it played a major role in building character and allowing individuals the opportunity to conquer themselves.

Written by Murray McKinnon