Robert de Castella
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Francois Robert de Castella is an Australian former world champion marathon runner.
De Castella in 1983
World champion Robert De Castella (r.) receives congratulations from 3rd-place finisher Waldemar Cierpinski (DDR) in Helsinki 1983
The 1st World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between 7 and 1
Robert de Castella
…that point, the fourth fastest in history. De Castella won Australia's first athletic World Championships gold medal when he won the marathon in August 1983, beating Ethiopian Kebede Balcha by 24 seconds and Olympic champion Waldemar Cierpinski by 34 seconds. De Castella was the favourite for the 1984 Summer…
The championships at Helsinki Olympic Stadium, August 1983
Carl Lewis at the championships
postage stamp from Finland issued in 1983