This Day in Track & Field History, Gwen Torrence sets two ARs in 200m on same day (1996)! written and edited by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field, March 17, Marshall Brooks becomes first man over 1.83m/6 feet (1876), Sergey Bubka breaks his own WR 0f 5.97m (1987), by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field History, March 10, 2025, Walter Chinnery sets WR for Mile (1868), by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field History, February 27, Lee Barnes sets AR of 4.09 meters (1926), written, edited and compiled by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)

This Day in Track & Field–March 2

1940—1st intercollegiate track meet (IC4A) telecast from Madison Square Garden. Among the winners were NYU’s Jimmy Herbert (600y) and Leslie MacMitchell (Mile), Penn State’s Barney Ewell (60y, Long Jump), and Georgetown’s Al Blozis (Shot Put). The latter two are members of the National Hall of Fame.

MacMitchell: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/sports/othersports/28macmitchell.html?_r=0

Herbert: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/25/sports/jimmy-herbert-track-and-field-star-at-the-garden-dies-at-82.html

Ewell(1986): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/norwood-barney-ewell

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/05/sports/barney-ewell-78-top-sprinter-won-gold-in-postwar-olympics.html

Blozis(2015): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/al-blozis

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/izenbergcol/index.ssf/2015/11/veterans_day_remembering_what.html

1946—Cornell’s Paul Robeson, Jr., whose dad of the same name excelled as an athlete, actor, singer, and activist, won his 2nd IC4A Indoor title in the High Jump at Madison Square Garden.

Winner of the special Zamperini Mile was Leslie MacMitchell (4:16.0), who was a 3-time IC4A Champion in the Mile while competing for NYU (1940-1942). On hand to congratulate MacMItchell was the event’s namesake, Capt. Lou Zamperini, who had been released from a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp less than a year earlier after the end of WWII. Zamperini, a 1936 U.S. Olympian at 5000-Meters, was the subject of the book and movie Unbroken.

Army won its 3^rd straight team title. From the NY Times Archives: “Coach Leo Novak’s squad carried over into peace the dominance it enjoyed in war…”

Robeson, Sr: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson

For Subscribers?: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/03/03/306556612.html?pageNumber=99

1957–Ron Delany, winner of the 1500-meters at the 1956 Olympics just 3 months earlier, led Villanova to its first IC4A Indoor title by winning a rare double. The Irishman first won the 1000-yards in 2:14.0, then, less than 50-minutes later, overcame a 50-yard deficit with three laps to go to win the 2-mile over Lew Stieglitz in 9:06.6.

Delany’s teammate, Charlie Jenkins, another 1956 Olympic gold medalist (400,4×400), won the 600y in 1:12.1. Another Wildcat, Don Bragg, who would win Olympic gold in 1960, won the Pole Vault (15-0).

Delany/NY: http://sports.nyhistory.org/ron-delany/

(For Subscribers?): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/03/03/90779771.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0

1996–A day after setting an American Record of 22.70 in the qualifying round at the U.S. Indoor Championships in Atlanta, Gwen Torrence smashed that mark with her winning time of 22.33 in the final. She also won the 60.

Torrence’s AR lasted until 2022 when Kentucky senior Abby Steiner ran 22.09 at the SEC Championships.

Michael Johnson won the Men’s 400 in 44.66, just missing his year-old World Indoor Record of 44.63.

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/03/sports/track-and-field-johnson-misses-his-record-but-demolishes-opponents.html

All-Time Top 10

44.49 Christopher Morales-Williams (CAN) 2/24/24

44.52 Michael Norman (US) 3/10/18

44.57 Kerron Clement (US) 3/12/05

44.62 Randolph Ross (US) 3/12/22

44.63 Michael Johnson (US) 3/04/95

44.66 ————Johnson 3/02/96

44.71 Noah Williams (US) 3/13/21

44.75 Elija Godwin (US) 2/23/23

44.75 ______Godwin (US) 3/11/23

44.80 Kirani James (Grenada) 2/27/11

**10 performances by 8 performers**

44.82 Tyrell Richard (US) 3/09/19

44.85 Fred Kerley (US) 3/11/17

2002-Nicole Teter set an American Record of 1:58.71 to win the Women’s 800-meters on the 2nd day of the U.S. Indoor Championships at NY’s Armory. It lasted for 17 years until Ajee’ Wilson ran 1:58.60 at the 2019 Millrose Games.

Tisha Waller cleared 6-4 (1.93) to win the 5^th of her 6 titles in the Women’s High Jump over defending champion Amy Acuff (6-2 ¾ [1.90]), and Allen Johnson won the 1^st of his 3 straight titles in the Men’s 60m-Hurdles in 7.45. (See March 1 for additional results)

Complete Results:

Men: http://www.flashresults.com/2002_Meets/indoor/usaindoor/usa-m.htm

Women: http://www.flashresults.com/2002_Meets/indoor/usaindoor/usa-w.htm

H.S. Coverage: https://archive.dyestat.com/us/2in/USAnat/index.htm

2003–Stacy Dragila cleared 15-8 ¼ (4.78) in the Pole Vault at the U.S. Indoor Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury Crossing,MA, breaking the World Record of 15-7 ¾ (4.77) that was set by Russia’s Svetlana Feofanova earlier in the year.

“ I’ve set the American record a number of times this season, so I really expected this to happen. My practices have been going really well and I came here with lots of confidence. I’ve performed well here in the past and I was really confident that I would jump high today”.

17-year old Allyson Felix finished 2^nd to Michelle Collins (22.84) in the 200-meters and set a U.S. High School Record of 23.14 (since broken). The previous record of 23.22 was set by Sanya Richards (Ross) in 2002.

Regina Jacobs was a double winner in the 1500 (3-1/4:15.81) and 3000 (8:52.57).

As noted yesterday (3-1), Gail Devers set an American Record of 7.74 in the qualifying round of the Women’s 60-Meter before winning the final in 7.85.

https://www.flashresults.com/2003_Meets/indoor/usaindoor/index.htm

2008–Minnesota’s Heather Dorniden (now Kampf), who won the NCAA Indoor 800 title as a freshman in 2006, fell with a lap to go while leading the 2nd section of the 600-meters on her home track at the Big-10 Championships. Knowing she could still score some points for the Gophers, she quickly got up and made up a huge deficit to win the race in 1:31.72.

As Dorniden started to climb up to the #1 position at the post-race awards ceremony, she backed off with a smile after being reminded by Indiana’s Audrey Smoot that she had run 1:31.59 in the first section and was the overall winner!

The race, along with interviews with Dorniden and coach Gary Wilson, was featured prominently on an edition of TV’s “Caught on Camera”.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70UF82nysIU

https://lopemagazine.com/2019/01/24/the-fall-heather-dorniden-kampf-minnesota-big-ten-indoor-600-audrey-smoot/

A Look Back: http://myathleticlife.com/2011/09/running-with-passion/

Queen of the Road Mile (2015):

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2015/09/rrw-queen-of-the-road-mile-heather-kampf-reveals-tricks-of-the-trade/

2013—Jenn Suhr not only won her 7^th U.S. Indoor title in the Pole Vault in Albuquerque(March 1-3), she also jumped 16-5 ½ (5.02) to break Yelena Isinbaeva’s World Indoor Record of 16-5 ¼ (5.01). Suhr had raised her American Indoor Record to 16-3/4 (4.90) before moving up to the WR height. Ironically, her WR is inferior to her current American Indoor Record of 16-6 (5.03), since she wasn’t drug-tested within the time-frame required by the IAAF. (USATF has a less-stringent window to be tested)

Said Suhr, “I was in a groove tonight. I put a lot of pressure on myself; I want to perform well and perform what I am capable of, so I naturally put pressure on myself. I knew some big things could happen, I just need to be healthy and come down the runway. That was the main goal, just to be healthy. I knew if I could execute and stay focused and listen to the instructions I had that it could happen.”

Results(Top-3): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_USA_Indoor_Track_and_Field_Championships

WR Video

2014—David Torrence set an American Indoor Record of 2:16.76 for 1000-meters at Boston University (since broken). The previous mark of 2:17.86 was set by David Krummenacker in 2002.

The track world was shocked when Torrence passed away in 2017 at the age of 31.

https://www.flotrack.org/articles/6001143-olympian-david-torrence-passes-away-at-age-31

2024 (New)—The Netherlands’ Femke Bol won the Women’s 400-meters on the 2^nd day of competition at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland (March 1-3), running 49.17 to break her own World Indoor Record of 49.24. Teammate Lieke Klaver (50.16) won the silver medal and American Alexis Holmes (50.24) won the bronze.

3^rd with a lap to go, Elle St. Pierre moved into 2^nd on the backstretch and waited until coming off the final final turn before passing Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tesfay, the favorite, and going on to win the Women’s 3000-meters with an American Record of 8:20.87 (#3 performer All-Time). Tsegay held on for 2^nd with a time of 8:21.13 (#5 performance A-T). Watching St.Pierre from the stands were husband Jamie and year-old son Ivan!

The Men’s 3000 was more of a tactical (but thrilling) race, with Josh Kerr, a native of Edinburgh, giving Scottish fans a thrill by winning the title in 7:42.98.

With the 5,000 fans creating a deafening roar, Kerr needed an all-out sprint on the last lap to move past Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega (7:43.64), the defending champion, who was passed right before the finish by American Yared Nuguse (7:43.59). The 2^nd American, Olin Hacker (7:45.40), finished 5^th after challenging for the lead with less than 2 laps to go.

Julien Alfred (6.98) edged Poland’s Ewa Swoboda (7.00) to win the Women’s 60-meters and would go on to win Olympic gold in the 100-meters in Paris later in the year.

Grant Holloway, another Olympic champion-to-be, successfully defended his title in the Men’s 60m-hurdles and matched his Championship Record of 7.29.

Thanks to a better 2^nd jump, Greece’s Miltiádis Tentóglou, the defending champion (and reigning Olympic and World Champion), won the Men’s Long Jump over 19-year old Mattia Furlani (Italy), with both having a best jump of 26-11 ¾ (8.22).

Other winners/highlights

Women’s Pole Vault 1.Molly Caudery (Great Britain) 15-9 (4.80), 2.Eliza McCartney (New Zealand) 15-9, 3.Katie Moon (USA) 15-7

(4.75)… 5.Sandi Morris (USA) 15-7

Men’s 400 Alexander Doom (Belgium) 45.25, 2.Karsten Warholm (Norway) 45.34

Men’s Triple Jump Hugues Fabrice Zango (Burkina Faso) 57-6 ½ (17.53)

Results

Videos W400 W3k (highlights/Interview) M3k M60h MLJ M400 MTJ WPV