NZ Olympic champion Sir Murray Halberg dies aged 89

Sir Murray Halberg, one of New Zealand's greatest athletes and a champion of children living with disabilities has died aged 89.

The Olympic champion's death on Wednesday evening was confirmed in a statement from Athletics NZ this afternoon.

“Sir Murray was a fierce competitor who gave his all on the track and a true gentleman who served others throughout his life," Athletics NZ CEO Pete Pfitzinger said.

"He was a true champion in every respect and a great New Zealander."

Born in Eketāhuna on July 7, 1933, Halberg later moved to Auckland where he attended Avondale College, playing rugby in his youth before a serious injury left him with a withered left arm.

The injury left Halberg needing months of rehabilitation and teaching himself to do everything, such as writing and eating, with his right hand.

The following year, Halberg opted to take up running and showed promise early, linking up with famous long-distance runner Arthur Lydiard as his coach.

The partnership paid off, with Halberg winning his first senior national title in 1954, leading to a fifth place finish in the mile at the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Vancouver.

Two years later, Halberg made his Olympic debut in Melbourne where he placed 11th in the 1500m before showing further progress in 1958 when he returned to the Commonwealth Games - this time in Cardiff - and won gold in the three mile.

Later that year he became the first New Zealander to run a sub-four-minute mile - an accolade that helped him win New Zealand Sportsman of the Year for 1958.

Halberg still had plenty in the tank though, heading to the 1960 Rome Olympics where he opted to focus on long distance running instead with entries in the 5000m and 10,000m.

On the same day that Peter Snell won the 800m, Halberg brought home gold in the 5000m before later going on to place fifth in the 10,000m.

The following year Halberg set new world records in the two miles, three miles and 4x1 mile relay in the span of 19 days and was also appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to athletics.

Halberg's incredible 1961 form carried over into the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth where Halberg defended his three mile title before he closed out his running career at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with a seventh in the 10,000m.

With his racing days done Halberg continued to be a champion of sport with his creation of the Halberg Foundation - a charitable organisation that enhances the lives of many young people with a physical disability through sport and recreation.

A key part of his Foundation has become the annual Halberg Awards - New Zealand’s preeminent sports awards to honour and celebrate sporting excellence - which is also the organisation's flagship fundraiser.

Halberg's services to sport and children with a disability saw him knighted in 1988 and two years later he was also inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2008, Sir Murray was appointed to New Zealand’s highest non-titular honour, the Order of New Zealand.

The following month he became only the fourth person to be awarded the Blake Medal (named after his countryman Sir Peter Blake) for his 50 years of service to athletics and his work with children with a disability.

Minister for Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson has given a statement on the death of Sir Murray Halberg.

"Sir Murray was an extraordinary athlete. His gold medal in the 5000m at the Rome Olympic Games in 1960 has been immortalised as part of New Zealand’s golden afternoon at the Games, with Peter Snell winning the 800 metres," the statement begins.

"In its own right, Sir Murray's win was very special, driven to win by exceptional fitness and dogged determination.

"He was truly a legend of New Zealand athletics, but his contribution has been so much more than that. In 1963 he established the Halberg Trust to support children with disabilities in sport and recreation.

"Through the Trust Sir Murray has changed the lives of generations of New Zealanders. The sheer joy that we witness each year at the Halberg Games is vindication of his vision," Robertson said.

"The fact that our Sportsperson of the Year Awards are simply known as the Halbergs is a fitting legacy to his work and that of the Halberg Foundation.

"As a country we have so much to be thankful for from Sir Murray’s life. He was one of our best, a member of the Order of New Zealand, a humble man of compassion and vision.

"My condolences go to his family and friends, and to all those who were touched by his work. Rest in Peace, Sir Murray."

Halberg is survived by his wife, Lady Phyllis and three children, Greta, Carl and Stefan, and his two grandchildren.