Rod Bonella
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 June 1937 |
| Died | 2 April 2000 (aged 62) |
| Occupation | Horse trainer |
| Years active | 1950s–1967 (Running) 1957–? (Horse training) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Commonwealth finals | 1962 |
Medal record | |
Rodney Fairfax Bonella (19 June 1937[1] – 2 April 2000)[2] was an Australian long-distance runner and horse trainer. He came third in the marathon event at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
Running career[edit]
Bonella attended Scotch College, Melbourne, where he ran the mile and half-mile events, and was also a cross-country runner. He was part of the school's 4 x 880 yard relay team that set an Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS) record.[2] In the 1960s, Bonella was trained by Emil Zátopek, and trained alongside fellow Australian athletes Ron Clarke, Trevor Vincent and Tony Cook.[2] In 1962, Bonella came second in the Australian National Marathon Championships, behind Keith Ollerenshaw.[3] He was competing for Victoria state.[4]
Bonella was selected for the marathon event at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia.[3] He came third in the race, finishing in a time of 2:24:07.[5][6] Bonella fell behind the leading two runners with 5 miles (8.0 km) to go in the race, and suffered with dehydration until the end of the race.[7] In 1963, he competed in local 3000 metres steeplechase, one mile, three mile and six miles events.[8] In 1965, Bonella won an APS Old Boys' cross-country event.[9]
Bonella retired from running in 1967, to focus on his horse training career.[2]
Horse training career[edit]
Bonella started training horses in 1957, when he imported the horse Caynham from the United Kingdom.[7] In 1965, Bonella bought Amourrou, a horse which had won the 1965 Churchill Stakes.[7] Amourrou was the grandson of legendary American horse Man o' War. Later in the year, Amourrou produced a foal that was the first horse born in Australia to be directly descended from Man o' War.[10] In the 1970s, Bonella earned a licence to become a horse owner and trainer.[7] From 1978 to 1984, Bonella took a break from horse racing, after one of his winning horses, Royal Amour, was badly injured.[7] Rooster Hall, a horse trained by Bonella, won a 1994 race at Sandown Racecourse.[11]
Bonella's daughter Louise is also a horse trainer.[2]
Death[edit]
Bonella died of cancer on 2 April 2000, at the age of 62.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Rodney 'Rod' Bonella (Vic)". Australian Athletics. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Obituaries". Scotch College, Melbourne. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Rod Bonella in Games team". The Age. 4 September 1962. p. 22. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "AUSTRALIAN MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP Perth" (PDF). 1962. pp. 6–7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "All-time Commonwealth Games – Mens distances". Athletics Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Briton Wins Marathon". Los Angeles Times. 30 November 1962. p. 51. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Marathon man has winning formula". The Age. 3 January 1994. p. 25. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Three-mile Test for Rod Bonella". The Age. 19 January 1963. p. 14. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bonella back with a win". The Age. 23 August 1965. p. 21. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bred to win". The Age. 26 August 1965. p. 23. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rooster Hall leaves his trainer guessing". The Age. 23 January 1994. p. 60. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.