by RBR Admin
Walt Murphy is one of the finest track geeks that I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, an excellent daily service that provides true geek stories about our sport. You can check out the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (email: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.
by Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission
This Day in Track & Field–September 29
1900—World Records were set by newly-crowned Olympic champions Maxey Long (440y-47.8) and John Flanagan (Hammer/168-0 [51.21], 169-4 [51.61]) at the NYAC Fall Handicap Games on NY’s Travers Island. Long got credit for the first IAAF-ratified mark in the 400m/440y. Both men are members of the National Hall of Fame
Long(scroll down): https://www.usatf.org/news/2021/usatf-announces-2021-hall-of-fame-class
Wiki Bio (Flanagan): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Flanagan_(hammer_thrower)
1912—Sweden’s Eric Lemming, who had won his 2nd Olympic title in the Javelin in July, threw 204-5 (62.32) in Stockholm to set the first IAAF-ratified World Record in the event. He had previously set 14 unofficial records from 1899-1907. He also won gold in the “freestyle” Javelin at the 1908 Olympics.
Since the Javelin hadn’t yet been added to the Olympic program, he competed in six other field events at the 1900 Olympics, finishing 4th in the High Jump, Pole Vault, and Hammer Throw!
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/76253
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Lemming
Video(1912 OG): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIJZ4pPBdYs
1923-The 1st U.S. Women’s Championships were held in Newark,NJ
Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1923_USA_Outdoor_Track_and_Field_Championships
1959–Hungary’s foursome of Lajos Kovács (4:07.4), Béla Szekeres (4:07.6), Sándor Iharos (4:09.2), and István Rózsavölgyi (4:00.9) ran 16:25.1 (ratified as 16:25.2) in Budapest to break Australia’s 6-month old World Record (16:25.6) in the 4xmile relay.
1962-Valeriy Brumel set the 5th of his 6 World Records in the High Jump, clearing 7-5 ¼ (2.27) in Moscow.
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_high_jump_world_record_progression
1974–Norb Sander, 2nd in 1973, won the 5th NY City Marathon in Central Park (2:26:30). Finishing 5th in 2:35:59 was one Bill Rodgers, who would begin a 4-year winning streak in New York in 1976. Sander was the driving force behind the rebirth of the Armory in NY City. Hugh Sweeny (2:37:27) finished 6th for the 2nd year in a row.
Winner of the Women’s division was Kathrine Switzer (3:07:29), one of the pioneers in women’s distance running.
Extreme heat and humidity caused a 40% dropout rate among the starters.
Starters/Finishers:501/269; Men:, 475/260, Women: 26/9
Leading Finishers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_New_York_City_Marathon
Sander: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/sports/norbert-sander-dead-nyc-marathon-winner.html?mcubz=3
Switzer: https://www.nyrr.org/about/hall-of-fame/kathrine-switzer
Rodgers: https://www.nyrr.org/about/hall-of-fame/bill-rodgers
1988–Florence Griffith-Joyner continued to amaze, this time winning the Olympic 200 in Seoul with a World Record of 21.34. She first lowered the Record to 21.56 earlier in the day in her semi-final race. Winning silver and bronze were Jamaica’s Grace Jackson (21.72) and East Germany’s Heike Drechsler (21.95)
Flo-Jo’s sister-in-law, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, came from behind in the 5th round to win the Women’s Long Jump with an Olympic Record of 24-3 ½ (7.40m). Drechsler (23-8 ¼ [7.22]) won the silver medal and the bronze went to the Soviet Union’s (and Russia’s) Galina Chistyakova (23-4 [7.11]).
East Germany’s Martina Hellmann (237-2 [72.30]) beat teammate Diana Gansky (235-10 [71.88]) to win the Women’s Discus. Finishing 3rd was Bulgaria’s Tsevtanka Khristova (228-10 [69.74]).
It was a 1-2 finish for East Germany’s Christian Schenk (8488) and Torsten Voss (8399) in the Decathlon, with Canada’s Dave Steen (8328) winning the bronze medal over Great Britain’s Daley Thompson (8306), the 2-time defending champion,
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1988_Summer_Olympics
NY Times Coverage FloJo-NY Times
2000–Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj had missed a chance at Olympic gold 4 years earlier in Atlanta when he fell in the final of the Men’s 1500-meters with one lap to go. Now the World Record holder in the 1500 and the mile, he was the heavy favorite to make up for that disappointment with a win at the Sydney Olympics.
Countryman Youssef Baba, willing to sacrifice his own chances in order to help El Guerrouj, ran the first 400 in 54.1 in an effort to spread out the field, but he slowed to 60+ on the next lap, allowing Kenyans Noah Ngeny and Bernard Lagat, among others, to remain close to the lead.
The confident El Guerrouj took matters into his own hands, covering the 3rd lap in 56.8, but he couldn’t shake Ngeny and Lagat (and France’s Mehdi Baala). El G held the lead coming down the final stretch, but Ngeny went by him with about 25-meters to go and pulled away for the win. He set an Olympic Record of 3:32.07, with El G (3:32.32) holding off Lagat (3:32.44) to win the silver medal.
While many viewed Ngeny’s win as a major upset, he had given El Guerrouj all he could handle the year before in Rome when both broke the previous World Record in the Mile, with El G winning in 3:43.13 to Ngeny’s 3:43.40. Those are still the two fastest mile times in history. El Guerrouj finally captured an Olympic gold medal (2, in fact) 4 years later when he won the 1500 and 5000 in Athens!
In the absence of Sergey Bubka, who failed to clear his opening height in the qualifying round of the Men’s Pole Vault, Americans Nick Hysong and Lawrence Johnson won the gold and silver medals, respectively. Both cleared 19-4 ¼ (5.90m), as did two others, with Hysong clearing on his first attempt and Johnson on his 2nd. Russia’s Maksim Tarasov won the bronze medal over Germany’s Michael Stolle, who had two misses at his opening height of 18-1/2 (5.50).
Germany’s Heike Drechsler (22-11 ¼ [6.99]) won her 2nd Olympic title in the Women’s Long Jump 8 years after winning her 1st in Barcelona in 1992. Winning her 2nd consecutive silver medal was Italy’s Fiona May (22-8 ½ [6.92]) and the bronze was won by Russia’s Tatyana Kitova (22-5 [6.83]). Marion Jones originally finished 3rd, but her bronze was one of the 5 medals she lost because of her later drug admissions.
Poland’s Robert Korzeniowski, already the winner of the 20k-walk in Sydney, won his 2nd straight Olympic title at 50k (31-miles). He would win a 3rd 50k title 4 years later in Athens. Finishing 2nd and 3rd were Latvia’s Aigars Fadejevs (3:43:40) and Mexico’s Joel Sánchez (3:44:36).
Reuben Kosgei (8:21.43) and Wilson Boit Kipketer (8:21.77) finished 1-2 in the Men’s Steeplechase, while Morocco’s Ali Ezzine (8:22.15) prevented a Kenyan sweep by edging Bernard Barmasai (8:22.23) for 3rd place.
The Women’s Hammer Throw made its Olympic debut, with the medals going to Poland’s Kamila Skolimowska (233-5 [71.16]), Russia’s Olga Kuzenkova (228-11[69.77]), and Germany’s Kirsten Klose (227-3 [69.28]).
Medalists: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2000_Summer_Olympics
Videos: M1500 Kevin Sullivan Looks Back (5th in the final) MSC
2019—American Christian Taylor (58-9 ½ [17.92]) won his 4th World title in the Men’s Triple Jump in Doha. Former Florida teammate Will Claye (58-2 ½ [17.74]) won the silver medal (his 4th WC medal), and Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango (57-11 ¼ [17.66]) won the bronze.
Taylor, a 2-time Olympic gold medalist (2012, 2016), was in danger of finishing out of the medals after fouling on his first two efforts, but came through in the 3rd round with a jump of (57-2 [17.42]) to qualify for 3 more jumps. He took the lead from Claye with his 4th round jump of (58-7 ¼ [17.86]), then got his winning jump of 58-9 1/2 in the next round.
Taylor’s win gave the U.S. its 100th gold medal at the World Championships. Said Taylor, “To win the 100th gold medal by a US man, how can I not be proud? It’s really the icing on the cake and adds to the phenomenal competition that I got to be a part of. To have that as part of my story, really I’m proud of it.”
Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova, competing as an “Authorized Neutral Athlete”, and American Sandi Morris were dead-even in the Women’s Pole Vault after clearing 5 heights, the last being 16-3/4 (4.90), without a miss. After Morris missed her 3 attempts at 16-2 ¾ (4/95), Sidorova won the gold medal after clearing on her 3rd try. It was a personal best for Sidorova and moved her to #4 on the All-Time list. Winning the bronze medal was Greece’s Katerina Stefanidi (15-11 [4.85]), the defending champion. Tied for 7th(with 2 others) at 15-5 (4.70) were Americans Jenn Suhr and Katie Nageotte.
In terms of depth, it was the greatest Women’s Pole Vault competition in history, with 12 competitors clearing 15-5 (4.70).
3 fairly new moms were also winners on this day.
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also became a 4-time World Champion, winning the Women’s 100 in 10.71, the fastest time of the year, over Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who set a National Record of 10.83, and the Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou(10.90). 4th was Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson (10.93), the double sprint champion at the 2016 Olympics.
Fraser-Pryce, who would win a 5th World title in 2022, brought her young son Zyon along on her victory lap.
Allyson Felix, who gave birth to daughter Camryn the previous November, ran a 50.4 second leg on the U.S. team that won the Mixed 4×400 relay, which was being contested for the first time at the World Championships. Wil London ran the lead-off leg in 44.9, with Courtney Okolo (49.9) and Michael Cherry’s come-from-behind 44.1 anchor finished off a World Record of 3:09.34. Finishing 2ndand 3rd were Jamaica (3:11.78) and Bahrain (3:11.82). It was the 12th gold medal at the World Championships for Felix, breaking the record of 11 that she had shared with Jamaica’s Usain Bolt.
The third mom to win a World title was Liu Hong (1:32:53), who led a Chinese sweep in the Women’s 20k Walk. 2nd and 3rd were Qieyang Shenjie (1:33:10) and Yang Liujing (1:33:17). It was Liu’s 3rd World title.
Medalists/Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_World_Athletics_Championships
Day 3 Recap: https://worldathletics.org/news/report/world-championships-doha-fraser-pryce-taylor
Videos: W100 Highlight Post-Race Interviews WPV(52 minutes) Sidorova MTJ Taylor W20kWalk Mixed4x400 Highlight
T&F News Coverage(for subscribers)
WPV MTJ Mixed 4×400 W100 W20kW
Moms: https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/fraser-pryce-felix-liu-mothers-world-champion
