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: [email protected] ) 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 ([email protected]), used with permission
This Day in Track & Field–October 19
1964—Future Hall-of-Famer Edith McGuire, who had earlier finished 2nd to teammate Wyomia Tyus in the 100, won the Women’s 200-meters at the Tokyo Olympics, running 23.0 (23.05) to set Olympic and U.S. Records. 2nd was Poland’s Irena Kirszenstein -Szewińska (23.1/23.13), who would win the gold medal four years later in Mexico City. Szewińska is a member of the IAAF Hall of Fame. Winning the bronze was Australia’s Marilyn Black (23.1/23.18).
Another HOF’er-to-be, Mike Larrabee (45.1/45.15), running in his first Olympics at the age of 31, came from 5th with 100-meters to go to win the Men’s 400 over Trinidad & Tobago’s (and Yale’s) Wendell Mottley (45.2/45.24) and Poland’s Andrzej Badeński (45.6/45.64). 5th in the race was Ulis Williams (46.0/46.01), the 2-time NCAA Champion from Arizona State. Mottley had won his 2nd IC4A title earlier in the year.
East Germany’s Karin Balzer won the 80-meter hurdles in a photo-finish over Poland’s Teresa Wieczorek and Australia’s Pam Kilborn, with all three being timed in 10.5 (auto times-10.54, 10.55, 10.56).
The Soviet Union’s (and Russia’s) Tamara Press set an Olympic Record of 187-10 (57.27) while winning the gold medal in the Women’s Discus over East Germany’s Ingrid Lotz (187-8 [57.21]), who had the lead through 4 rounds, and Romania’s Lia Manoliu (186-11 [56.97]). Press, who was in 4th place before getting her winning throw in the 5th round, would also win the Shot Put the following day.
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics
Olympedia Reports: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/16/sports/ATH
HOF Bios: McGuire (1979): (Currently unavailable); Larrabee (2003): (Currently unavailable)
HOF Video(Larrabee/400): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp37qrwvPl4
Szewińska HOF: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/hall-of-fame-profile-irena-szewinska-poland
1967–The Soviet Union’s(and Ukraine’s) Igor Ter-Ovanesyan equaled Ralph Boston’s 2-year old World Record 0f
27-4 ¾ (8.35) at a pre-Olympic meet in Mexico CIty.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump_wor ld_record_progression
1968–It was a good day for the U.S. at the Mexico City Olympics, with Bill Toomey (Decathlon) and Madeline Manning (Women’s 800) winning gold medals.
Aided by the altitude of Mexico City, Toomey had a great first day (10-18), running 10.4 in the 100, long-jumping 25-10 (7.87), and finishing off with a clocking of 45.6 in the 400 in a heavy rain. His final score of 8193 gave him the gold over West Germans Hans Joachim-Walde (8111) and World Record holder Kurt Bendlin (8064). All three medalists had been coached by Germany’s Friedel Schirmer, who was 8th in the decathlon at the 1952 Olympics.
Manning (Mims) set Olympic and American Records with her winning time of 2:00.9 in the 800. Winning silver and bronze were Romania’s Ileana Silai (2:02.5) and the Netherlands’ Maria Gommers (2:02.6). 5th was American Doris Brown-Heritage (2:03.9).
Manning-Mims has served as an athletes’ chaplain at many Olympics (and recently with the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock) and has been known to offer stirring renditions of the National Anthem at many events.
A Jamaica foursome of Errol Stewart, Michael Fray, Clifton Forbes, and Lennox Miller equaled the World Record of 38.6 (38.65) in its heat of the Men’s 4×100. The same quartet improved the Record to 38.3 (38.39) in its semi-final.
The U.S. (Barbara Ferrell, Margaret Bailes, Mildrette Netter, Wyomia Tyus) set a World Record of 43.4 in the 1st heat of the Women’s 4×100. The Record was tied in the next heat by Holland (Wilhelmina Van den Berg, Mieke Sterk, Truus Hennipman, Corrie Bakker).
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics
Olympedia Reports: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/17/sports/ATH
Anthem Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51QWZijk6Dk
Toomey (2012): https://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?video_id=72207
Hall of Fame Bios
Toomey (currently not available); USOPM Bio: https://usopm.org/bill-toomey/
Manning: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/madeline-manning-mims
Attachments area
Preview YouTube video 1964 Olympic, 400 Meters, Tokyo, Japan
1964 Olympic, 400 Meters, Tokyo, Japan
