 Rod Dixon in 1976 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sAthletics | ||
Representing New Zealand | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1972 Munich | 1500 metres |
Rodney Phillip DixonONZM (born 13 July 1950) is a former New Zealand middle- to long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the1972 Olympics in Munich, and in 1983 won theNew York City Marathon.
Dixon was born on 13 July 1950 inNelson, New Zealand.
He first represented New Zealand at the1972 Summer Olympics inMunich, finishing third in the1500 metres.[1] He won his first BritishAAA Championships title in the 1500m event at the1973 AAA Championships (the second was in 1976).[2][3][4][5] At the1974 British Commonwealth Games inChristchurch he finished fourth in the 1500 metres. His time of 3:33.89 (officially 3:33.9) was the fifth fastest ever at the time and remained Dixon's lifetime best for the distance. He then moved up to the5000 metres and was ranked first in the world for the event in 1975 byTrack & Field News magazine.
In the 5000 metres at the1976 Montreal Olympics Dixon finished fourth behind four-time Olympic ChampionLasse Virén, teammateDick Quax andKlaus-Peter Hildenbrand whose last second dive/fall denied Dixon a second Olympic bronze medal.[6]
After missing the1980 Summer Olympics due to theboycott[7] Dixon took third place at the1982 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Dixon also turned to road-running and was one of the more successful athletes on the USroad racing circuit in the early '80s, including wins at theFalmouth Road Race (1980),Bay to Breakers (1982 & 1983), the Lynchburg, Virginia 10 miler (1981 & 1983), and the Philadelphia Half-Marathon (1980, 1981). His gradual move to longer distances culminated in his1983 marathon victory in New York City.[8][9] He finished 10th in themarathon at the1984 Summer Olympics.
Unable to compete due to an injury, Dixon guided ablind runner in the 1985 Bay to Breakers.[10] At the 1985 New York Marathon, Dixon served as the first host for the participatory "Helmet Cam" as he followed the lead pack for a mile during the race.[10][11]
Theboycott[7] of the1980 Summer Olympics led to Dixon becoming embroiled in a savage row with the NZ Amateur Athletic Association. He got wind of the boycott some time before it was announced and confronted NZAAA over it. Teams which were to compete in the coming Olympics were in their final preparations and some athletes in teams, like the rowers and hockey players, were leaving their jobs so they could compete -without any idea that there would be a boycott. Dixon felt that the New Zealand government had no business meddling in the Olympic Games and the athletes should have been consulted and been part of the decision-making process. This rift led to Dixon relocating to the US to compete on theroad racing circuit.
After winning the New York Marathon, Pan Am put his name on the side of one of its 747s and gave him a "self-write ticket" - for first-class. He used to say to his "friend": Want to go to Zurich tonight? And off they'd go, for dinner.[12]
In the2026 New Year Honours, Dixon was appointed anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to athletics.[13]
| Distance | Time | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 m | 1:47.6 | Rome | 1973 |
| 1500 m | 3:33.89 | Christchurch | 1974 |
| 1 mile | 3:53.62 | Stockholm | 1975 |
| 3000m | 7:41.0 | Milan | 1974 |
| 3000 m Steeplechase | 8:29.0 | Oslo | 1973 |
| 2 miles | 8:14.4 | Stockholm | 1974 |
| 5000 m | 13:17.27 | Stockholm | 1976 |
| 10000 m | 28:11.0 | Atlanta | 1981 |
| Half marathon | 1:02:12NR | Philadelphia | 1981 |
| Marathon | 2:08:59 | New York | 1983 |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing New Zealand | |||||
| 1972 | Olympic Games | Munich, West Germany | 3rd, Bronze Medal | 1500 metres | 3:37.5 |
| 1982 | 1982 IAAF World Cross Country Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd, Bronze Medal | 11.978 km | 34:01 |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 10th | Marathon | 2:12:57 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 3.000 m best year performance 1975–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Lonsdale Cup of theNew Zealand Olympic Committee 1972 | Succeeded by |
