Tony Manning
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Australia | ||
| Commonwealth Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1970 Edinburgh | 3000 m s'chase |
Tony Manning (born 9 January 1943) is a former track and field athlete from Coolah in New South Wales, Australia, who competed in the middle-distance running events. He was born in New South Wales.[1]
At the 1970 Commonwealth Games, Manning won the gold medal ahead of Ben Jipcho and Amos Biwott of Kenya after an eventful race in which his team-mate Kerry O'Brien fell at the final water-jump, while leading, and failed to finish the race.[2] In interviews afterwards he stated that his race plan was to stick close to Kerry O’Brien, who had a steady style and good pace judgment, and decided to “go for it” when O’Brien fell.[3]
Controversially, he was not selected for the 1968 Olympics. A tumour operation prevented his participation in the 1972 Olympics.
Other achievements include victory over Kerry O’Brien and Ron Clarke in the 5,000m at the 1970 Australian Championship in 13-56. He won nine consecutive New South Wales state steeplechase championships. With his brother Peter, later a successful junior middle/long distance running coach in Coolah, he dead-heated in the 10,000 state cross-country championship and a fortnight later beat Bob Vagg over ten miles at Randwick racecourse, running on bare feet, an unofficial Australian record at the time. He was described by fellow-athlete Ron Clarke as “the original and perhaps the only remaining Australian bushwhacker.”.[4] He travelled six hours twice a week from his home in Coolah to train and compete for Randwick Botany Harriers in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.[5]
In 2002 he was listed at number seven in the top ten athletes in the history of New South Wales athletics[6] for his Commonwealth Gold and achievement in having run 8.38 for the steeplechase on a cinders track in a state championship race in 1970. His 3:43.1 in the 1500 metres interclub final in 1970 and 13:55.8 in the 5000 metres stood as records for over 30 years, as did his all-comers record in Papua New Guinea.
He married, had four children, and worked for 47 years for Australia Post.
He is brother of Kevin Manning (born 2 November 1933), who was Bishop of Parramatta, a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney from 1997 to 2010.
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | British Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, Scotland | 1st | 3,000 m Steeple |
References
- ↑ Athletics Australia profile – Tony Manning
- ↑ Report by Neil Allen, Times of London, 24 July 1970
- ↑ Athletics Weekly 31 July 1970
- ↑ BBC race commentary Commonwealth Dames 1970.
- ↑ Randwick Botany Harriers AC website
- ↑ Coolrunning