Barry Besanko (born 15 August 1956) is a former Australian sprinter and

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played with

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Besanko was a junior nationals hurdles champion and competed in many athletics events before joining Essendon. In the Australian Track & Field Championships, his best performances included a second-place finish in the 100 metres in 1976-77 and four successive top three finishes in the 200m, finishing second in 1978-79. He was also a member of the Victorian team that won the 4 x 100 metres relay final in 1977-78, along with Fred Lehmann,

Peter Van Miltenburg Peter Van Miltenburg (born 16 August 1957 in Geelong, Victoria) is a former Australian sprinter who specialised in the 200 metres. In 1981 he represented Australia/Oceania in the IAAF World Cup in Rome in the 200 metres where he finished 9th. He ...

and

Colin McQueen Colin McQueen (born 12 February 1956) is an Australian retired sprinter that specialised in the 200 and 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (spor ...

. Internationally, Besanko represented Oceania at the

1977 IAAF World Cup The 1st IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held from 2 to 4 September 1977, at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, West Germany. Overal ...

in West Germany and the

1979 IAAF World Cup The 2nd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on August 24–26, 1979, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Overall resu ...

in Canada. At both World Cups he was a finalist in the 4 x 100 metres relays, placing seventh each time. His best individual performance at a World Cup came in 1979, when he made the 200 metres final and finished eighth. During this time, Besanko also played Under 19s and reserves football for Melbourne. Not surprisingly given his speed, Besanko was a wingman. He made three appearances for Essendon, all in the

1980 VFL season The 1980 VFL season was the 84th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 29 March until 27 September, and comprised a ...

.AFL Tables: Barry Besanko
/ref> His elder brother Neil Besanko also played for the club. In 1983 he captain-coached Dingley but returned to Essendon the following year, to join their coaching staff. He was off again in 1986, to coach Rye, a position he held for two years. He then went to St Kilda, where he was a fitness adviser.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Besanko, Barry 1956 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Essendon Football Club players Australian male sprinters Living people