We learned yesterday that Dick Quax , New Zealand's Olympic and Commonwealth Silver Medalist at 5000 meters (Montreal 1976) has passed away. Quax in his words lived with cancer the past five years. In 1977 Quax set a world record for the 5000 at 13:12+ in Stockholm. Of all the great Kiwi runners only he , Peter Snell , and John Walker set WR's at Olympic distances. His stride was said to be one of the best and most efficient ever.
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| Finish at Montreal L-R Rod Dixon (4th), Brendan Foster, Quax, (2nd) Ian Stewart (6th), Lasse Viren (1st), Klaus-Peter Hildebrand (3rd) |
Only Lasse Viren's great stretch run kept Dick Quax off the top of the podium at Montreal, but you can see in race films that it was Quax who took it to the pack going into the last turn with 200 meters to go sprinting like a banty rooster in the barnyard. It was truly one of the most hotly contested 5000s in Olympic history.
The Montreal Finish Video clik here.
Numerous tributes are being paid to Dick Quax in the New Zealand press. Below are links to several of them.
George Roy Steve
New Zealand Herald article May 31, 2018
New Zealand Herald article Jan. 20, 2018
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