Hong Kong 1,500m running record stands for a ‘ridiculous’ 50 years, holder hopes youngsters are inspired to beat it
- Dave Gibson set the 1,500m record in 1972, running for Hong Kong in Manila, and hopes news of the 50 year anniversary might inspire a young runner to break it
- Gibson represented Hong Kong in races across Asia, including at the 1973 Asian Goodwill Track and Field Meet
It will be 50 years next month since the Hong Kong 1,500m track record was set by Dave Gibson. The time of 3 minutes 55.6 seconds has stood for so long it is “ridiculous”, said the record holder.
But the 79-year-old said he felt no sense of pride in still holding the record, rather his overwhelming emotion was one of sadness “for the others who haven’t smashed it to pieces yet”.
“It’s not good for Hong Kong that it’s stood for 50 years. There’s been lots of good runners,” Gibson said. “Hopefully, it inspires younger people to say ‘we have to sort this out, this is ridiculous’.”
Gibson was in the British Army, and served in Hong Kong from 1969 to 1973. As Hong Kong was part of the Commonwealth at the time, Gibson was selected to represent the city.
He ran in a number of races representing Hong Kong, including the 1973 Asian Goodwill Track and Field Meet, and was flag-barer at other events. He was running for Hong Kong when he set the 1,500m record.
“I’d run 3:45 for 1,500m before so to get under four minutes wasn’t particularly hard for me,” Gibson said.