Our Commonwealth Games analysis series continues with the men's mile/1500m

The inaugural mile winner, in 1930, was England’s Reg Thomas, who followed up his 800m silver with a 15-metre victory. Thomas was the Welsh champion, but Wales didn’t enter a team.

Two years before his 1936 Olympic gold, New Zealander Jack Lovelock comfortably beat future mile world record-holder Sydney Wooderson as Brits took four of the first five places.

Wales’ Jim Alford won the 1938 title and broke Lovelock’s record, after being fourth at 880 yards and he improved his PB by an incredible six seconds.

Canada won the 1950 gold through Bill Parnell as England’s three miles winner Len Eyre took the silver after entering the straight with a ten-metre lead.

The 1954 race, dubbed the “Miracle Mile”, was one of the greatest races in history as world record-holder John Landy set a fast pace reaching halfway 10 metres clear in 1:58.2. However, previous holder Roger Bannister closed him down on the third lap and overtook him as they entered the final straight to win in a British record 3:58.8 as Landy was also inside four minutes.

Another who became a world record-holder, Herb Elliott, won the 1958 race with plenty in hand in 3:59.0, with a 1:55.4 second half and led an Aussie clean sweep as Merv Lincoln and Albie Thomas followed him home. A few weeks later Elliott set a world mile record of 3:54.5 in Dublin.

The list of miling superstars continued as Kenya’s Kip Keino took gold in 1966, two years before his Olympic title in the altitude of Mexico in a Games record 3:55.3. England’s Alan Simpson followed him home in 3:57.1.

In 1970, Keino won the first 1500m final with another superb front-running exhibition as future 5000m record-holder Dick Quax pushed him hard. A then unknown and future record-breaker, Brendan Foster finished third.

The 1974 race is regarded as the greatest ever championship 1500m. Filbert Bayi (pictured) front-ran a world record 3:32.16, taking New Zealand’s John Walker also inside the old record and two other big names, Ben Jipcho and Rod Dixon, also broke 3:34 and moved into the all time top five. Foster broke the British record with 3:37.64, though he was a well-beaten seventh.

British athletes fared much better in a superb race in 1978 with just 0.18 covering the first four. Dave Moorcroft edged past Bayi with Scots John Robson and Frank Clement feet behind. Seventeen-year-old Steve Cram finished ninth in his heat, one place ahead of world marathon record holder-to-be Steve Jones!

Four years later Cram won comfortably from two other all-time greats, Walker and Mike Boit. The 1986 race was a tactical race and held in windy conditions. Cram easily ran down front-running John Gladwin in the slowest 1500m time in Games history.

The England domination continued in 1990 as Peter Elliott was in majestic form and 17 seconds faster than Cram as he won in a world-class 3:33.39. Seb Coe scratched in his heat and retired after his sixth in the 800m. Reuben Chesang’s 1994 victory was a relatively forgettable one as he narrowly pipped Kevin Sullivan and John Mayock took third. In 1998, Mayock advanced to second with Whiteman third as Kenya retained the title through Laban Rotich. England were back on top in 2002 as Mike East surprised William Chirchir with a strong finish, much to the Manchester crowd’s delight.

It was New Zealander Nick Willis who won a rough 2006 race with lots of fallers and a stylish finish. However, in 2010 in Delhi he was well beaten by the Kenyan pairing of Silas Kiplagat and James Magut.

Gold medal winners Mile

1930 Reg Thomas (ENG) 4:14.0
1934 Jack Lovelock (NZL) 4:12.8
1938 Jim Alford (WAL) 4:11.5
1950 Bill Parnell (CAN) 4:11.0
1954 Roger Bannister (ENG) 3:58.8
1958 Herb Elliott (AUS) 3:59.0/ 3:59.03
1962 Peter Snell (NZL) 4:04.6/ 4:04.58
1966 Kip Keino (KEN) 3:55.3/ 3:55.34

Gold medal winners 1500m

1970 Kip Keino (KEN) 3:36.6/ 3:36.68
1974 Filbert Bayi (TAN) 3:32.16
1978 Dave Moorcroft (ENG) 3:35.48
1982 Steve Cram (ENG) 3:42.37
1986 Steve Cram (ENG) 3:50.87
1990 Peter Elliott (ENG) 3:33.39
1994 Reuben Chesang (KEN) 3:36.70
1998 Laban Rotich (KEN) 3:39.49
2002 Michael East (ENG) 3:37.35
2006 Nick Willis (NZL) 3:38.49
2010 Silas Kiplagat (KEN) 3:41.78

British medallists

Gold: Thomas (Eng: 1930), Alford (Wal: 1938), Bannister (Eng: 1954), Moorcroft (Eng: 1978), Cram (Eng: 1982/1986), Elliott (Eng: 1990), East (Eng: 2002)
Silver: Sydney Wooderson (Eng: 1934), Len Eyre (Eng: 1950), Alan Simpson (Eng: 1966), John Gladwin (Eng: 1986), John Mayock (Eng: 1998)
Bronze: Jerry Cornes (Eng: 1930, 1934), Brendan Foster (Eng: 1970), John Robson (Sco: 1978), Mayock (Eng: 1994), Anthony Whiteman (Eng: 1998)
Most successful athlete: Both Cram and Keino won double gold. An inexperienced Keino was fifth in his 1962 heat
Most successful Briton: Cram also ran in 1978

» Find other event-by-event histories here and an overall history of the Commonwealth Games here