Sport: A Matter of Race

THE 1,500 METERS

Politics and providence permitting, one of the most memorable foot races of modern times would have been the 1,500-meter final on Saturday, July 31, the last full day of the Olympics. Tanzania's Filbert Bayi, the world record holder in the 1,500 (3:32.2), was expected to confront New Zealand's John Walker, the fastest man ever to run the slightly longer—by 120 yds.—mile (3:49.4). Walker's best time in the 1,500 is only a hairbreadth two-tenths of a second off Bayi's record, set in the Commonwealth Games at Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1974....

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