This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
On November 21, 2019, World Athletics celebrated global mile legends in Monaco, including Kipchoge Keino and Jim Ryun, who 51 years earlier had created a memorable metric mile classic at the Mexico Olympics.
Keino, who won the 1,500m gold at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, was among a dozen legends of the distance honored at the ceremony hosted by World Athletics President Seb Coe.
Other legends in attendance included 1956 Olympic 1,500m champion Ron Delaney, current record holder Hicham El Guerrouj, and Tanzania's Filbert Bayi.
The night's festivities were centered around Briton Roger Bannister, the first man to run a sub-four-minute mile in 1954, who passed away on March 3, 2022.
His daughters Charlotte and Erin represented him at the ceremony, where Coe delivered a keynote speech lasting four minutes and 25 seconds, just 26 seconds outside Bannister's groundbreaking sub-four-minute mile.
Coe compared the mile to a four-act play, with the first lap introducing the cast and setting the stage, the second lap revealing the plot, the third lap being the business end of the race, and the final lap bringing the race home.
Keino, who also won gold in the steeplechase at the 1972 Munich Games, explained that he respected the mile most after seeing a film of Dr. Roger Bannister.
He said, 'I wanted to be a good miler when I saw of film of Dr. Roger Bannister. I tried the 800m, moved to 1,500m, 5,000m, 3,000m steeplechase. I'd take part in any event, from the 800m right up to the 10,000m, but the mile and 1,500m were the easiest events for me to take part in.'
American legend Ryun recalled his high-altitude Mexico '68 battle with Keino, saying, 'I was very honored to represent the US and to get a silver medal towards my treasured possessions.'
Keino added, 'I knew there was Jim Ryun, the world record holder. I tried my best to be the best in the 1,500m and I trained in high altitude and was able to perform.'
