Ron Clarke

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For other persons of the same name, see Ronald Clarke.

Olympic medal record
Men's Athletics
Bronze	1964 Tokyo	10,000 metres

Ronald ("Ron") William Clarke (born February 21, 1937 in Victoria) was an Australian athlete, and one of the best known middle and long distance runners in the 1960s.

He is best remembered for setting seventeen world records, but also for never winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He did win the bronze medal in the 10,000 m at the 1964 Summer Olympics, however. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Clarke collapsed and nearly died from altitude sickness sustained during the grueling 10,000 m race final. He suffered permanent heart damage from this event, as he was not conditioned to running in high altitudes as were some competitors. [[In 1956, when Clarke was still a promising youngster, he was chosen to light the Olympic Flame in the stadium during the opening ceremonies of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

On March 15, 2006, Ron Clarke was one of the final four runners who carried the Queen's Baton around the MCG stadium during the 2006 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

He currently serves as Mayor of the Gold Coast, Queensland. Clarke is the brother of former VFL star Jack Clarke.