Ian Stewart (athlete)
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Great Britain
|
||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1972 Munich | 5000 metres |
| European Championships | ||
 |
1969 Athens | 5000 metres |
| World Cross Country | ||
|
1975 Rabat | men's individual |
Representing  Scotland
|
||
| International Cross Country Championships | ||
|
1972 Cambridge | men's individual |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
|
1970 Edinburgh | 5000 metres |
Ian Stewart (born 15 January 1949) is a Scottish former long-distance running athlete. Ian Stewart was one of the world's leading distance runners between the late 1960s and mid-1970s. Stewart won the bronze medal in the Men's 5000 metres at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich (a race won by Lasse Virén). Stewart also won the following championships: European 5,000 metres (1969), Commonwealth 5,000 metres (1970), European Indoor (1969 and 1975) and World Cross Country (1975).
In 1965, at 16 years of age, he ran a British age best of 9.12.8 for 2 miles and two years later set a European junior 3 miles record of 13.39.8. In 1968, he broke European junior records at four distances: 3000m, 2 miles, 3 miles and 5000m. Moving up to the senior ranks in 1969, Stewart took the European Indoor 3000m title in a UK record (7.55.4), claiming the AAA 5000m title (13.39.66) and then winning 5000m gold at the 1969 European Athletics Championships in Athens in a time of 13.44.8.
In 1970, Stewart set a European record and world's season best time when he recorded 13:22:8 to win the Commonwealth Games 5,000 metres title. This was one of the greatest races of all time and he defeated current world record holder Ron Clarke, Olympic 1,500 metres champion Kip Keino and fellow Scot, Ian McCafferty. Stewart produced a last lap of 54.4, Keino and Clarke could only finish 3rd and 5th, respectively.
The 1971 campaign proved an anti-climax as illness and injuries halted his progress, he was back to full fitness in the Olympic year of 1972. In the Olympic 5000 metres final, he suffered a heavy knock from American Steve Prefontaine on the last lap but produced an amazing burst in the home straight to gain the bronze medal (13.27.6), the Finn, Lasse Viren, took gold in 13.26.4. Stewart ran the home straight faster than even Virén. Stewart later blamed the clash with Prefontaine for costing him the gold.
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