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Santry 1958: 60 years on from the race of the century

Dan Carbery was 19 when he raced against Olympic champions in what turned out to be a record-breaking race in Santry.

The42.ie / YouTube

LAST MONTH MARKED the 60th anniversary of one of the most celebrated track races ever hosted in Ireland.

Just after the Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) took place in Cardiff, some of the world’s leading milers were brought to Santry by promoter Billy Morton to run in the new stadium that had just opened. 

Included in the field were the Olympic gold medalist Ronnie Delany and Empire Games gold medalist Herb Elliott. 

The race left such a lasting legacy because the winner on the night, the Australian Elliott, smashed the then world record, finishing the mile in 3:54.5. 

On top of that, it was the first time in history that the top five finishers all finished in under four minutes. 

Also running that day was a 19-year-old Dan Carbery from Carlow, who still remembers the race, and the thousands of people that came to watch it, clearly. 

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    Mute Seamus Cummins
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:01 AM

    Have to hand it to the man, he has done a fantastic job with them, most managers of his caliber wouldn’t go near a team like Leicester, they usually only want clubs that can bring the very best players with alot of money in the bank and already have a team of stars. If they get champions league he is kind of manager that can attract star names for next season

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    Mute Beano
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:19 AM

    I don’t think Ranieri’s stock was particularly high after being sacked from his last 3 jobs so to be honest, a mid to bottom of the table club in any league was always going to be the best he could get but credit where credit is due. I doubt Guardiola or Mourinho could have done a better job. The problems for Leicester will come next season. Will the players lose their hunger? Will they become big time charlies and demand wage increases? If they bring in better quality players, how will that effect team balance/moral, etc…

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    Mute colm connolly
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:50 AM

    Top 4 is a near certainty hopefully at the very least top 3 so they go straight into the champions league, adding about 8 players has to be done at least with the extra games and the increased pressure on them , honestly I don’t fancy their chances of doing anything similar next season I hope they prove me wrong but they need to add to the squad

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    Mute Gerry Campbell
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:52 AM

    Beano, every manager with a bit of experience, comes to his interview, having been sacked from his last number of jobs, this man is just a breath of fresh air , and it’s showing in the performances, the players get it, they are enjoying themselves , and I think they will win that league, if they don’t it will not be because they freeze it will be because Spurs are coming into form.

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    Mute Beano
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:59 AM

    I don’t think Leicester will win the league. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been brilliant and deserve all the credit they get but if you read some of the media you would think they were 5 or 10 points in the lead! If City win this weekend, which I think they will, they’ll go top and I honestly believe they’ll stay there until the end of the season.

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    Mute conex
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:51 AM

    Wait for it ………Leicester next home game and all the fans holding up signs saying ……….YES WE CAN . But I really hope they win it . Ranieri is a class act .

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    Mute Fergus O'Laochdha
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:18 AM

    ‘Never did I blame them and say we conceded this goal because you did this and this’ Take note Gary Neville

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    Mute Nollaig Elliot
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    Feb 5th 2016, 9:51 AM

    A point at City would be a great result at this stage and I wouldn’t put it past them. De Bruyne out is a boost too. It’s that time of year now where teams like Leicester will pick up points against The Gunners so my money would be on them for a result then.

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    Mute Peadar
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    Feb 5th 2016, 8:02 PM

    Ranieri for United

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