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Anders Garderud experimented with several events in international
competition, with limited success, before he rose to athletic greatness
in the 3000m steeplechase, at which distance he won an Olympic gold
medal and set four world records. Although Garderud had won the 1500m
steeplechase at the European Junior Championships in 1964, and in July
1965 had set a world junior record of 4min 00.6sec in that event; at the
1968 Olympic Games, he only competed in the 800m and 1500m, in both of
which he was eliminated in the heats.
In the following years Garderud
progressed at the 3000m steeplechase to the extent that he was
considered one of the favourites for that event at the 1972 Olympic
Games in Munich. Unfortunately, Anders was suffering from a bad cold in
Munich, and was eliminated in his heat on 1 September. Garderud was
also eliminated in the heats of the 5000m held on 7 September, but only
seven days later, in a post-Olympic meet in Helsinki, he set a new 3000m
steeplechase world record of 8min 20.8sec. His performances in the
steeplechase vastly improved following his world record, and in 1974 he
was narrowly beaten by Bronislaw Malinowski (Poland) at the European
Championships in Rome. On 25 June 1975, in Oslo, Garderud recaptured
his world record that he had lost to Ben Jipcho (Kenya), setting a new
mark of 8min 10.4sec.
Only six days later, in Stockholm, he lowered
this record to 8min 09.8sec, defeating Malinowski in the process. In a
busy month of competition, Garderud also won the steeplechase at the
European Cup semi-final in London (Crystal Palace) on 13 July (see photo
above). The culmination of his career occurred at the 1976 Olympic
Games in Montreal, where after a stirring contest with Malinowski,
Garderud won the gold medal in a new world record of 8min 08.0sec. (Ron Casey)
After retiring from competitions Gärderud worked as a TV commentator of athletics events and as the head coach of the Swedish women’s athletics team.
World Records
8.20.8 Helsinki Sep 14, 1972
8.10.4 Oslo Jun 25, 1975
8.09.8 Stockholm Jul 01, 1975
8.08.0 Montreal Jul 28, 1976
European Records (plus four above)
8.18.4 Stockholm Jul 03, 1973
8.15.2 Stockholm Jul 02, 1974
8.14.2 Helsinki Aug 01, 1974
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