Ian John McCafferty (born 24 November 1944) is a Scottish former

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. He won the

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

at the

1970 Commonwealth Games The 1970 British Commonwealth Games (Scottish Gaelic: Geamannan a 'Cho-fhlaitheis Bhreatainn 1970) were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time ...

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

when he recorded a time of 13:23.34. This was one of the greatest races of all time. Reigning European 5000 metres champion Ian Stewart set a new European record and the two Scots, moved up to second and third on the world all-time list. In the race McCafferty defeated the current world record holder

Ron Clarke Ronald William Clarke, AO, MBE (21 February 1937 – 17 June 2015) was an Australian athlete, writer, and the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable for ...

, and Olympic 1,500 metres champion

Kip Keino Kipchoge Hezekiah Keino (born 17 January 1940) is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete. He was the chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) until 29 September 2017. A two-time Olympic Games, Olympic gold medalist, Keino was among the f ...

. McCafferty also finished sixth in the Commonwealth 1,500 metres in a time of 3:42.2. McCafferty was Scottish 5000 metres champion in 1971, and was also three times the Scottish champion in the

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

. He also won the

AAA Indoor Championships The AAA Indoor Championships was an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost indoor domestic athletics event during its lifetime. The event was first held in 1935, fol ...

on three occasions for

two miles The 2 mile (10,560 feet or 3,218.688 metres) is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets due its historical chronology in the United States and United Kingdom. It has been larg ...

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

. He won the Junior race at the 1964 International Cross Country Championships. He represented Great Britain at the

1972 Munich Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. Competing over the 5000 m, he finished in 11th place with a time of 13:43.2 minutes. He was quicker in the heats, having won that race in a time of 13:38.2. McCafferty was so disappointed that he never raced again as an amateur. McCafferty was also the first Scot to break the

four-minute mile A four-minute mile is the completion of a mile run (1609 m) in four minutes or less. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister, at age 25, in 3:59.4. As of April 2021, the "four-minute barrier" has been broken by 1,663 athletes, and is n ...

. McCafferty became the third fastest British miler of all time in 1969. At the end of 1972 he was fifth on the world all-time list for 5000 metres. The U.S. magazine

Track & Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, ...

' annual world rankings ranked McCafferty fifth at 5000 metres in 1967. They ranked him third in 1970 and eighth in 1972.Track & Field News Rankings
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Personal bests

Mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

– 3:56.8 min (1969) *

indoors – 7:56.2 min (1967) *

– 13:19.66 min (1972)

References

External links

Sporting-heroes.net profile
1944 births Living people Scottish male long-distance runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Scotland Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games {{Scotland-athletics-bio-stub