First comes the gold then the bronze
One of the country’s sporting heroes has been immortalised in his home town.
Olympic athlete Sir John Walker unveiled a life-sized bronze statue in Manurewa, south Auckland, yesterday afternoon.
The statue, designed by sculptor Joanne Sullivan, depicts the moment Walker crossed the finish line at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he won gold in the 1500 metres.
It faces his old primary, Manurewa Central School.
The statue was funded by the Sir John Walker Legacy Trust and cost about $160,000.
Walker said in 2017 he was surprised when he first learned a statue would be erected in his honour.
‘‘It came as a big shock because normally you’re dead [when a statue is erected],’’ he said.
‘‘This is a legacy for others. When they look at the statue, kids can say to each other ‘if he can do it, so can I’.’’
The year before his Montreal Olympics heroics Walker set a world record in the mile in Sweden, with a time of 3 minutes and 49.4 seconds.
The following year, he broke the world record for the 2000 metres.
Later, he was elected a Manukau City councillor, and now represents the Manurewa-Papakura ward on Auckland Council.
The 66-year-old, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009.