Summary

White track suit worn by the then Governor of Victoria, Mr John Landy, when he ran the final leg of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay. Mr Landy presented the baton to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 15 March 2006, during the Opening Ceremony of the Games.

Physical Description

White custom-made track suit

Significance

John Landy wore this track suit when he handed the Queens' Relay Baton to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 15 March 2006, during the Opening Ceremony of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Landy's participation in the relay was significant for two reasons. He is famous for having been the second man ever to have run a mile in less than four minutes, but the lynch pin of his fame as a middle distance runner in Australia comes from having stopped during the 1956 Australian National Championships to help Ron Clarke who had fallen after having his heel clipped by another runner. Landy, who had been leading when he stopped, made up the ground he lost to win the race. At the 1956 Olympic Games, held in Melbourne, he took the oath on behalf of all competitors, and won a bronze medal in the 1,500 metres event. Through his participation in the Opening Ceremony, Melbourne's two largest ever sporting events were linked.

The other significant aspect of Landy's participation is that he was Governor of Victoria at the time of the Games. Landy was made a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1955 and was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by Her Majesty in 2006. Given the Imperial origins of the Commonwealth Games, the symbolism of the local representative of the Queen of Australia presenting the Baton to Her Majesty seems entirely appropriate.

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