by RBR Admin
This Day in Track & Field–September 20
1879—Despite losing a shoe that split open during the race, Lon Myers, a charter member of the National Hall-of-Fame, set a pre-IAAF World Record of 49.2 for 400-meters at the NYAC Fall Games, which were held on the 352y Mott Haven track. He also set an American Record of 22-3/4 in the 220y.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_Myers
1925—Sweden’s Gunnar Lindstrom threw the javelin 220-10 (67.31) in Oslo, more than two feet past his own World Record, of 218-7 (66.62), but the mark was not ratified by the IAAF because there was a following wind! WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_javelin_throw_world_record_progression
1942—Sweden’s Gunder Hägg became the first man to break 14-minutes in the 5000-meters, running 13:58.2 in Gothenburg to take more than 10 seconds off the previous World Record of 14:08.8. He also got credit for a new WR at 3-miles (13:32.4). This gave Hägg a clean sweep of the current WRs for every event from 1500-meters to 5000-meters. 1500-3:45.8 Mile-4:04.8 2000-5:16.4 3000-8:01.2 2-miles-8:47.8 3-miles-13:32.4 5000-13:58.2
WR Progression(5000): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres_world_record_progression
https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/a-tribute-to-the-career-of-gunder-hagg
http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=235
1953—Russia’s Yuriy Lituyev, the silver medalist at the 1952 Olympics, won the 400-Meter Hurdles in Budapest in 50.4, breaking the 19-year old World Record of 50.6, set by American Glenn “Slats” Hardin in 1934.
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_400_metres_hurdles_world_record_progression
1969—Ukraine’s Anatoliy Bondarchuk set a World Record of 245-0 (74.68) in the Hammer Throw at the European Championships in Piraeus, Greece. He would improve the record to 247-7 (75.48) the following month.
Czech Jaroslava Jehlicková won the Women’s 1500-Meters in 4:10.7, breaking the previous World Record of 4:12.4 that was set by Italy’s Paola Pigni earlier in the season.
Great Britain won the Women’s 4×400 in a photo-finish over France, with both teams getting credit for a World Record of 3:30.8.
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_hammer_throw_world_record_progression
Medalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_European_Athletics_Championships
1972—Belgium’s Emiel Puttemans ran 13:13.0 for 5000-meters in Brussels to break the six-day old World Record of 13:16.4, set by Finland’s Lasse Virén in Helsinki. He also set a WR en-route for 3-miles—12:47.8 WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres_world_record_progression http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=227
1972—Belgium’s Gaston Roelants set two World Records in one race in Brussels: 57:44.4 for 20,000-Meters and 20,784-Meters for the 1-hour run. He held the previous records of 58:06.2 and 20,664m, both set in 1966. Another WR was set within the race, with Willy Polleunis, also from Belgium, running 46:04.2 for 10-Miles.
https://worldathletics.org/news/news/progression-of-world-athletics-records-on-sal
1981—American Herb Lindsay set a World Record of 61:47 for the ½-Marathon in Manchester, Vermont.
WR Progression: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Half_marathon_world_record_progression
Career Stats: https://more.arrs.run/runner/8982
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Lindsay
1992—The World Junior Championships came to a close in Seoul, South Korea, with two future stars each winning two events.
Shortly after competing in the first round of both sprints at the Olympics in Barcelona, 18-year old Ato Boldon of Trinidad & Tobago was the winner of the Men’s 100 (10.30) and 200 (20.63).
Just a day after winning the 5000 (13:36.06), Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie finished first in the 10,000 (28:03.99). He set Meet Records in both events. 3rd in the 5000 was Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj (13:46.79). As he was being passed in the final 20-meters of the 10,000, Kenya’s Joseph Machuka punched Gebrselassie in the back (!) and was disqualified (See video).
Great Britain’s Steve Smith tied the current World Junior Record with his winning height in the Men’s High Jump (7-9 ¾ [2.37]).
For Boldon, his double win was the turning point in his career, explaining, “I’d had an awful Olympics in Barcelona. Went in overconfident (at 18) but not yet ready for the big stage. After going out in the first round in both the 100 and 200 in Barcelona, I went home and trained like my life depended on it. Becoming the first to do the 100/200 double at World Juniors was the result, and confirmed for me that this was the sport I belonged in”.
Boldon went on to win 7 individual global medals, including gold in the 200 at the 1997 World Championships.
Silver-2000 Olympics (100)
Bronze-1996 Olympics (100,200), 2000 Olympics (200), 1995 & 2001 World Championships (100)
Gebrselassie went on to become one of the greatest distance runners in history, winning 11 gold medals on the world
stage:
Olympics—10,000 (1996, 2000)
World Championships—10,000 (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999); ½-Marathon (2001)
World Indoor Championships—3000(1997, 1999, 2003), 1500(1999)
Complete results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_World_Junior_Championships_in_Athletics
Boldon: https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/trinidad-and-tobago/ato-boldon-9066
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ato_Boldon
Gebrselassie: https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/ethiopia/haile-gebrselassie-8774
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Gebrselassie
Video(10k): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5C5z32ABww&pp=QAA%3D
1998—Brazil’s Ronaldo da Costa set a World Record of 2:06:05 at the Berlin Marathon. It was the first of 9 WRs, including the last 8, set on the fast course. The most recent WR of 2:01.09 was set in 2022 by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqraW1LcrXE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronaldo_da_Costa
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_world_record_progression
https://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/en/
2009—Tyson Gay won the 100-meters in Shanghai in 9.69 to break his own month-old American Record of 9.71. Only Jamaica’s Usain Bolt has ever run faster (9.58, 9.63). Gay had to overtake the fast-starting Asafa Powell, who wound up in 2nd place (9.85).
Carmelita Jeter won the Women’s 100-meters in 10.64 to move to #2 on the All-Time list, trailing only Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49, 10.61, 10.62). Jeter is now #4 on the All-Time list after Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran 10.54 and 10.60, respectively, in 2021.
Videos
Gay(no audio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhsqVfOB9ig
Jeter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n4MV5II6Es
https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/tyson-gay-dumps-fast-food-for-faster-times-
