17 Facts About Herb Elliott

Herb Elliott retired from athletics soon after the 1960 Olympics, at the age of 22.

Herb Elliott made a career in business, and at one time was chairman of Fortescue Metals Group.

Herb Elliott was chairman of Global Corporate Challenge health initiative.

Herb Elliott attended Aquinas College, Perth, where he was Head Prefect in the Class of 1955.

The intense sporting culture at Aquinas provided an ideal grounding for Herb Elliott to reach the highest levels of athletic achievement.

On 6 August 1958, Herb Elliott set a new world record for the mile at Morton Stadium in Dublin.

Two years later, at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Herb Elliott won the 1500 m gold medal in world record time, finishing 2.6 seconds ahead of second placed Michel Jazy of France.

Herb Elliott credited his visionary and iconoclastic coach, Percy Cerutty, with inspiration to train harder and more naturally than anyone of his era.

Herb Elliott originally studied at the University of Melbourne, where he was funded by a Shell Australia university scholarship.

Herb Elliott matriculated at Jesus College, Cambridge, and received a third class in Part I of the natural sciences tripos in 1963.

Herb Elliott served as the CEO of Puma North America and between 2001 and 2006 as a board member at Ansell.

On 18 August 2011, Herb Elliott was expected to move from chairman to deputy chairman, handing over the role of chairman to Andrew Forrest.

Herb Elliott was one of the Olympic Torch bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and entered the stadium for the final segment before the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

On 2 May 1959, Herb Elliott married Anne Dudley, a hairdresser from Perth.

Herb Elliott carried the torch of peace to the MCG when Pope John Paul II visited Melbourne in 1986.

Herb Elliott's career inspired the 1962 Australian television play The Runner written by Alan Seymour.

Herb Elliott was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.