With the 2012 London Olympics just around the corner, we thought we would look back at some of our favourite Olympic moments. Today, Otago Daily Times sports editor Hayden Meikle looks at Jack Lovelock's 1500m win at the 1936 Berlin Games.
Some people - and some sportspeople, in particular - strike a chord with you for no apparent reason.
So it is with me and Jack Lovelock. I count the man with the wavy hair and cheeky grin as my favourite New Zealander.
They called 1936 "Hitler's Olympics". And, sure, old Adolf made sure the Games in Berlin that year were as much about promoting the Nazi party and himself as they were about athletic endeavour.
For me, they are "Jack's Olympics". Featuring Jack's Perfect Race.
You have to remember the 1500m and the mile were impossibly sexy events all those years ago. The contestants were the gods of the track.
Lovelock was an enigma.
Born on the West Coast and schooled in Timaru, he studied at the University of Otago before heading to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He had a brilliant mind, which he used to analyse the world of medicine as much as running. Some called him aloof. I prefer to think of him as focused, with a liberal touch of genius.
And in 1936, four years after flaming out at Los Angeles, Lovelock ran into immortality with victory in the Olympic 1500m. He took the lead with 300m to go, and ran to victory as his old mate, Harold Abrahams, went berserk in the commentary box ("Come on Jaaaccckkk! My God, he's done it!"). You know a man has inspired you when, 72 later, you seriously consider naming your son Lovelock.
