Andrew Lloyd's determination to fight back against impossible odds was
not only evident in the greatest victory of his career, but also in life
itself. Although Lloyd had shown his distance running potential on the
track early in his career, it was in the marathon that he achieved his
earliest successes. He won the Melbourne marathon in 1979, 1980 and
1981, and recorded a career best of 2hr 14min 36sec in 1984. On the
track, Lloyd's first major success was winning the 5000m/10000m double
at the 1985 Australian Championships. Later that year, Andrew suffered
serious injuries in a car accident that claimed the life of his first
wife.
Lloyd slowly regained his fitness, although the injuries
sustained in the accident would necessitate seven operations over time
to his right ankle and right elbow. Lloyd participated at the 1988
Olympic Games in Seoul where he failed to finish in his heat of the
10000m, and was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 5000m. The 5000m
final at Seoul was memorable because the winner John Ngugi (Kenya)
established an enormous lead over the field in the early stages which he
never relinquished.
Ngugi tried exactly the same tactics in the 5000m
final at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland on 1 February 1990. Ngugi
had a 40-metre lead at the bell, with the runners behind him, led by Ian
Hamer (Wales), starting to make their moves as they fought for the
minor medals. Lloyd battled Hamer for second place around the last lap,
finally passing the Welshman soon after entering the straight. At this
stage Ngugi's lead still seemed unassailable, but he was starting to
falter, and sensing his chance, Lloyd produced an incredible finishing
burst (see photo above), to just pip Ngugi at the line by a mere 0.08 seconds. (Ron Casey)
Personal Bests.
1500m: 3:36.6 (July 1990, Barcelona) Mile: 3:56.52 (May 1990, London) 3000m: 7:45.94 (December 1990, Canberra) 5000m: 13:24.63 (February 1992, Melbourne) 10,000m: 27:57.34 (December 1987, Melbourne) Half marathon: 62.54 (January 1994, Tokyo) Marathon: 2:14.36 (June 1984, Sydney)
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