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Three outstanding Jamaican track and field athletes were Thursday night inducted in the second Central American and Caribbean Confederation Hall of Fame.
4 Nov 2005
Source: Jamaica Observer (View article)

Kingston JAM - Sprinters Leslie Laing, Dr Lennox Miller and the versatile sprint hurdler Keith Gardner received their plaque of induction at an awards ceremony held at the Hilton hotel.

They joined Grace Jackson, Herb McKenley, Dr Arthur Wint, Donald Quarrie, Dr George Rhoden, Dr Herb Elliott, and Richard Ashensheim, who were inducted in the inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony in 2003.

Born February 2, 1924, Laing represented Jamaica at its first two Olympic Games - 1948 and 1952 - and made history in the 1952 Olympics, when he, along with Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley and George Rhoden won the 4x400m gold medal and broke the world record.

All other 4x400m relay records before and since have been held by Americans.

A graduate of Fresno State College in the USA, Laing reached the 200m finals at both the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.

He also won the 100m silver and 200m gold at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Married to Carmen Phipps, a high jump finalist for Jamaica in 1948, Laing was awarded the rank of Officer of the Order of Distinction.

Miller, born August 8 1946, won a silver and bronze in the 100 metres at consecutive Olympic Games (1968 and 1972) and when his daughter Inger won a sprint relay gold at the 1996 Games, the pair became the only father-daughter combination to win Olympic medals in track and field.

At the University of Southern California (USC), he ran the anchor leg that set the world record in the 4x110-yard relay (which included OJ Simpson) and along with Erroll Stewart, Michael Fray and Clifton Forbes, equalled and set the world record on the same day.

Miller graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Science and obtained a Doctor of Dental Surgery, practising successfully in Los Angeles.

He also managed the Jamaican team at the 1987 Pan American Games and ran one of the legs of the torch relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and served as Jamaica's liaison officer of those Games that year.

He lost his battle with cancer last year, an Olympic year.

Mr Versatile, Gardner competed in two Olympic Games as a member of the British West Indies team.

He sustained groin injury at the 1956 Games and won a 4x400m bronze at the 1960 Games, which included George Kerr. He was fifth at the 110m hurdles at the 1960 Games.

His versatility was evident at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico City when he won medals in the 110m hurdles (silver) and long jump (bronze), and was Commonwealth Games champion in the 110m hurdles that same year.

In the 1958 Commonwealth Games he won gold in the 100 yards, silver in the 220 yards, and successfully defended his 110m hurdles crown. He was also a member of the 4x440-yard bronze medal team.

He served as director of sports for the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Police Youth Clubs, University of the West Indies, and in later years as sports co-ordinator of the Multi-Care Foundation in Jamaica.

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