The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver changed both
the city and world sport forever. The Games will always be remembered
for the Miracle Mile, the much-anticipated showdown between the first
two men to break the four-minute barrier, England's Roger Bannister and
Australia's John Landy. But as the press focused the world's attention
on Vancouver, and Bannister outpaced Landy in the stretch, fate found an
even more dramatic story that seared itself into the memories of all who
saw it. England's Jim Peters, the world-record holder in the marathon,
entered Empire Stadium at the end of a brutal twenty-six-mile run,
collapsing repeatedly before a medic stopped him two hundred yards from
the finish line. These two stories brought the Games to a stirring
conclusion on its final day - Saturday, August 7, 1954 - but there were
many other extraordinary moments throughout the events. A group of
novice UBC rowers pulled off the biggest upset in Games history on the
Fraser Valley's Vedder Canal. Australia's Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, the
fastest woman in history, blasted down the track one final time to
remain undefeated in international competition, an unprecedented
accomplishment before and since. Emmanuel Ifeajuna, a little-known high
jumper from Nigeria, surprised the world when he won Africa's first-ever
international gold medal. He later masterminded a bloody coup that
plunged his nation into devastating civil war. Every single day offered
up unbelievable tales of glory and grief. As one 1954 billboard boldly
proclaimed, the Games were a week you'll remember a lifetime!