Bronze statue of historic Olympian Sir John Walker unveiled in Auckland

Sir John Walker won't only be remembered for his gold medal in the 1500m in 1976 Montreal Olympics, but for his bronze in 2018 as well.

A bronze statue of Walker was unveiled in Manurewa this morning, honouring the moment he crossed the finish line.

Created by sculptor Joanne Sullivan, the statue was unveiled in front of the now 66-year-old and members of the public at 11am.

Sullivan told the Herald she was delighted to have been selected to do the sculpture.

"To actually be in trusted with sculpting a piece with the fame and honour that Sir John Walker holds, that is a tremendous privilege to be given," she said.

Sir John Walker admires the statue with friends, family and the public. Photo / Nick Reed

The project took over two years to create, with Sullivan creating the highly-detailed sculpture in a lost-wax process.

Besides his gold medal victory in Montreal, Walker was also the first person to un the mile in under 3m 50s and has been an Auckland councillor since 2010.

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