Murray Halberg Obituary

Sir Murray Gordon Halberg ONZ MBE was a New Zealand middle-distance runner. Halberg was born in Ekethuna on July 7, 1933, and later moved to Auckland, where he attended Avondale College.

After a serious injury left him with a withered left arm, Halberg chose to take up running and showed early promise, teaming up with famous long-distance runner Arthur Lydiard as his coach.

The collaboration paid off, as Halberg won his first senior national title in 1954, propelling him to fifth place in the mile at the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Vancouver.

Two years later, Halberg made his Olympic debut in Melbourne, finishing 11th in the 1500m, before making further progress in 1958, when he returned to the Commonwealth Games, this time in Cardiff, and won gold in all three events.

Later that year, he became the first New Zealander to run a mile in under four minutes, which helped him win New Zealand Sportsman of the Year in 1958.

He  won gold in the 5000m at the 1960 Olympics. He also won gold medals in the 3 mile events at the Commonwealth Games in 1958 and 1962.

Murray Halberg passed away on Wednesday, November 30 2022. He was 89. Athletics NZ issued a statement confirming the Olympic champion’s death on Wednesday evening.