by Larry Eder
Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field–May 27
2001–South Lakes (Va.) senior Alan Webb, with the able assistance of coach Scott Raczko, fulfilled the great promise he had shown since his sophomore year by running 3:53.43 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, to break Jim Ryun’s 36-year old National H.S. Record in the Mile (3:55.3).
Competing against a world-class field that included World Record holder Hicham El Guerrouj (who would set a U.S. All-Comers Outdoor Record of 3:49.92), Webb patiently ran his own race and didn’t get caught up in the incredibly exciting atmosphere that permeated Hayward Field, a fitting setting for such an historic day.
Running well off the pace of the rabbits and the lead pack, Webb went through splits of 58.1, 1:57.9, and 2:58.4, and then clicked into another gear. The crowd virtually ignored the great El Guerrouj, who was pulling away from Bernard Lagat and the rest of the field, and devoted all of its energy to Webb, who rewarded the faithful with a great 55-second last 1/4 to finish off his record run. And on the way, he also took down another Ryun record, clocking 3:38.26 at1500 meters.
El Guerrouj, a student of the sport who knew full well the impact of Webb’s run, grabbed his new friend by the arm and they went on a joint victory lap, much to the delight of the adoring Eugene fans. Soaking up his new-found fame, the fun-loving Webb gladly signed autographs for at least an hour after the meet had ended.
The ensuing media blitz hadn’t been seen in the sport for a long time. Webb’s run was reported on the front pages of newspapers all across the country (including the NY Times!), and he eventually made appearances on the morning talk shows and met with President Bush at the White House. He also had a memorable guest shot on Late Night With David Letterman, who couldn’t stop gushing about Webb’s accomplishment. And Webb handled all the attention with the poise and style of a seasoned veteran.
The speculation about Webb’s potential started to build after he ran 4:06.94 in 1999 to break Ryun’s National H.S. sophomore record. It continued the following year when he ran a 3:59.9 anchor 1600-meters at the Penn Relays, but an injury kept him from any serious efforts to break 4-minutes the rest of the season(he had to turn down an invitation to the 2000 Pre meet). An early sign in his senior year that everything was going according to plan came at NY City’s Armory in January, when he set a H.S. indoor record of 3:59.86 and became the first prep 4-minute miler since Marty Liquori ran 3:59.8 in 1967.
Webb, who set an American Record of 3:46.91 for the Mile in 2007, competed in the 1st round of the 1500-Meters at the 2004 Olympics and was a finalist in the 1500-Meters at the 2005 (9th) and 2007 (8th) World Championships.
Side Note: After signing autographs for at least an hour, Webb was congratulated by a bespectacled fan. As the gentleman started to walk away, I said to Alan, “Do you know who that is? That’s Gerry Lindgren”! A student of the sport, an excited Webb quickly chased after Lindgren and it was great seeing the two prep superstars (separated by nearly 50 years) bonding.
Lindgren (wearing his Rogers H.S. hoodie) & Webb
RELATED LINKS:
How it Happened: https://runteamwebb.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/history-lesson-how-a-353-became-reality/
NY Times:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niCWRb29y-E
The Alan Webb Story(Video):
Full Results: http://www.flashresults.com/2001_Meets/outdoor/pre/pre.htm
Dyestat Talks to the Four Sub-4 Preps(Ryun, Danielson, Liquori, Webb):
http://archive.dyestat.com/news/xc2003/12-December%202003/12Fab4Talk.htm
T&F News Covers(March, August) https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-covers-2001/
Jim Ryun: http://tinyurl.com/c8xkw
Runner’s World(Subscription required?):
http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/chat-alan-webbs-amazing-35343-high-school-mile
2001–Also on this day, Roman Šebrle of the Czech Republic broke the 9,000-point barrier in the Decathlon, scoring 9,026 points in Götzis, Austria, to break countryman Tomáš Dvořák’s 2-year old mark of 8,994. Šebrle went on to win the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and 2007 World Championships.
Šebrle’s marks:
10.64, 8.11/26-7 1/4, 15.33/50-3 1/2, 2.12,6-11 1/2, 47.79, 13.92 47.92/157-3, 4.80/15-9, 70.16/230-2, 4:21.98
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu15RTM_Z4c
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decathlon_world_record_progression
1916–Penn senior Ted Meredith won his 3rd IC4A 440y title, running a World Record of 47.4 at Harvard. He also won the 880y in 1:53.0. Meredith won the 800-meters at the 1912 Olympics shortly after graduating from Mercersburg Academy(Pa).
1961–The great Ralph Boston, a charter member of the Hall of Fame, became the first man to long-jump 27-feet, winning with a mark of 27-1/2 (8.24) at the California Relays in Modesto.
Boston, the 1960 Olympic gold medalist, had set the previous mark of 26-11 ¼ (8.21) (which bettered Jesse Owens’s 25-year old record) the year before. The new record came in the 3rd round and was part of the greatest series in history, with Boston also jumping 26-5 ¾ (8.07m), 26-9 ¾ (8.17), 26-5 ½ (8.06), 26-1 ¾ (7.97), and 26-10 ¾ (8.19+).
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump_world_record_progression
1961–19-year old Ulis Williams ran 46.1 in Ontario, CA, to set a National High School Record for 440-yards. Williams later finished 2nd to 1960 Olympic Champion Otis Davis in the 440 at the U.S. Championships in New York (46.1-46.3).
1961–On the other side of the country, battling heavy rains and unseasonably cold weather, Frank Budd won the 100y (9.6) and 220y (21.4) to lead Villanova to the team title at the IC4A Championships at Downing Stadium on Randall’s Island.
1967–Georgetown’s Ricardo Urbina won his 2nd IC4A 880y title. Urbina was a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before retiring in 2012.
Boston College senior Bill Norris won his 3rd consecutive IC4A steeplechase title…Norris had received coaching tips from the “rice paddies of Vietnam” from former BC Eagle Larry Rawson.
1972—Ronnie Ray set a U.S. High School Record of 45.8 for 440-Yards at the Virginia state meet
1973–Running at the Vons Classic in the Los Angeles Coliseum, future Hall-of-Famer Rick Wohlhuter ran 1:44.6 to break Jim Ryun’s 7-year old World Record (1:44.9) for 880-yards. The mark was also intrinsically better than Dave Wottle’s World Record of 1:44.3 for 800-meters.
HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/rick-wohlhuter
1974 Sports Illustrated article: https://vault.si.com/vault/1974/07/01/gently-with-a-big-kick
(From Jack Pfeifer)
The women’s 880y featured a number of youngsters who went on to have outstanding careers. Mary Decker at 14 narrowly misses the American Record, as does 17-year-old Wendy Koenig, defeating another 14-yr-old and three other teenagers along with the cagey “veteran”, 20-year-old Francie Larrieu!
1.Mary Decker(Slaney) Blue Angels 2:03.6 #2 A-T US 14-yr-old frosh
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/mary-slaney-decker
2. Wendy Koenig Colorado Gold 17 HS senior 2:03.8 2-time U.S. Olympian (1972, 1976-7th)
3. Lynn Hollins Sports United, 1st year of running…14-yr-old frosh Riverside Cal 2:07.9
4. Francie Larrieu San Jose Cindergals 2:09.8, one night after running 4:22.7 to beat Decker at Modesto, age 20
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/francine-larrieu-smith
5. Kathy Gibbons Arizona freshman age 18 NT
6. Ruth Kleinsasser(Wysocki), LATC 16-yr-old HS soph 2:13.2 1984 U.S. Olympian—800 (6th), 1500 (8th)
1978—Before heading to Eugene for the NCAA Championships, I stopped in Tempe, Arizona, and was treated to a display of speed by Southern Cal sprinters, past and present, at the inaugural Sun Devil Relay Classic.
An alumni group of Guy Abrahams (20.5), Mike Simmons (20.7), Donald Quarrie (19.7), and James Gilkes (19.3), competing as the Tobias Striders, won the 4×200 relay in 1:20.23 to better the previous fastest time on record, the 1:20.7 run by a USC team in 1972.
Neither mark was accepted as a World Record due to the mixed nationalities of the lineups, but USC, running on this day with an All-American lineup of Joel Andrews (20.8), James Sanford (20.1), Billy Mullins (19.6), and Clancy Edwards (19.8) did get credit for a new standard with its runnerup time of 1:20.26. Finishing 3rd with a quick time of 1:21.0 was the Philadelphia Pioneer Club, which used a lineup of Steve Riddick (20.4), Herman Frazier (19.6), Robert Taylor (19.8), and Bill Collins (21.2). USC’s mark lasted for 11 years until the Santa Monica TC ran 1:19.38 in 1989.
There was no record in the mile relay, but it was a sensational race.
1.USC 3:03.32 (Joel Andrews-46.5, James Sanford-45.7, Billy Mullins-44.4, Rayfield Beaton-46.7)
2.Villanova 3:03.81 (Keith Brown-46.5, Anthony Tufariello-45.4, Glen Bogue-45.8, Tim Dale-46.1)
3.Arizona State 3:04.32 (Clifton McKenzie-46.7, Gerald Burl-45.3, Greg Moore-47.4, Tony Darden-44.9)
4.Philadelphia Pioneers 3:04.4 (Al Daley-48.0, Mike Solomon-45.2, Robert Taylor-45.8, Herman Frazier-45.4)
5.Texas Southern 3:05.1 (James Taylor 47.1, Kevin Williams-46.8, Max Tolen-46.0, Fred-Taylor-45.2)
In other highlights, Don Paige won the 800m (1:47.7) over Thomas McLean (1:49.3), his Villanova teammate Sydney
Maree won the Mile (4:03.2), and Dwight Stones won the High Jump (7-4 ½[2.25]).
Villanova, with Mark Belger running a 1:46.9 anchor, won the sprint medley (3:16.5).
2000—Stacy Dragila cleared 15-1 ¾ (4.62) in Phoenix, matching her “absolute” World Record that she set indoors in March. However, there was no drug-testing at this meet, so this mark was not ratified by the IAAF.
2006—Willamette senior Nick Symmonds won his 4th consecutive NCAA Div.III title at 800-meters (2003-2006). He also won his 3rd title in the 1500 (2003, 2005, 2006).
Symmonds would win 6 U.S. titles in the 800 and won the silver medal at the 2013 World Championships.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Symmonds
2017—Christian Taylor and Will Claye, the gold and silver medalists, respectively, at the previous year’s Olympics in Rio, continued their rivalry in the Triple Jump at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, with Taylor beating his former Florida teammate, 59-5 (18.11) to 59-2 3/4w (18.05). Taylor’s winning jump is the longest ever achieved on U.S. soil.
Other Highlights (involving other Rio medalists):
Tori Bowie, the winner of a full set of medals in Rio (Gold-4×100, Silver-200,Bronze-100) won the 200 in 21.77 over the Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller-Uibo(21.91), the 400 gold medalist, and Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson (21.98), the winner of the 100 and 200 in Rio.
Great Britain’s Mo Farah, who won his 2nd Olympic double (5k-10k), won the 5000 here over Ethiopia’s rising star, Yomif Kejelcha (13:00.70-13:01.21).
Silver medalist Brittney Reese (23-0/7.01) won the Long Jump over her conqueror in Rio, Tianna Madison (22-5/ 6.83), who also won gold on the 4×100.
Bronze medalist Sam Kendricks (19-2 ¾ [5.86]) won the Pole Vault over France’s World Record holder, Renaud Lavillenie (19-3/4 [5.81]), who won silver in Rio. Brazil’s Thiago Braz, the gold medalist, no-heighted.
Gold medalist Ryan Crouser won the Shot Put with a personal best (at the time) throw of 73-7 ¼ (12.43). 2nd was New Zealand’s Tom Walsh, the bronze medalist, and 3rd was silver medalist Joe Kovacs(70-4 ¼[21.44]).
Also–Finishing 11th in the “International” mile, 16-year old Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway ran 3:58.07 to become the youngest-ever sub-4 minute miler!
Full Results: https://preclassic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=120&title_id=143&do=title&pg=1&folder_id=190&page_id=15123
W200: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y0CdQM_07w
2023—Ryan Crouser, getting comfortable with his new style in the throwing circle (the “Crouser Slide”), raised his World Record in the Shot Put to 77-3 ¾ (23.56) at the USATF L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium (May 27). He set the previous Record of 76-8 ¼ (23.37) at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. He also surpassed his throw of 76-8 ½ (23.38) from this past indoor season that was disallowed due to an irregular landing area.
His six throws averaged 75-10 ¼ (23.12), which was the same distance Randy Barnes threw for a World Record at this same facility in 1990. Joe Kovacs, with a best of 76-2 ¾ (23.23) is the only man in history to throw farther than Crouser’s average!
Video (with a description of the “Crouser Slide”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jmxGxW_ZxM
Series(w/all-time performance position—at the time):
76-02 ¾ 23.23 =#4
76-05 ¾ 23.31 #3
75-03 ¼ 22.94 =#15
77-03 ¾ 23.56 #1
74-09 ¾ 22.80
74-00 ¼ 22.86
Meet Results: https://results.usatf.org/LAGrandPrix23/
Born On This Day*
Jackson Cantwell 17 (2008) The son of Olympic shot-putters Christian Cantwell and Teri Steer, Jackson, who stands 6’-8”,
and weighs 305 pounds (2.02/138kg), set National H.S. Sophomore Records in the Shot Put (74-9 ¾
[22.80]) and Discus (205-4 [62.58]) in 2024. The previous record holder in the Discus was none
other than Ryan Crouser! And he just set a Junior Record of 76-5 ½ (23.30) at the Missouri State meet. Only
National Record holder Michael Carter has ever thrown farther!
He’s been setting age-group records since he was 12 years old
Currently a junior at Nixa H.S. (MO), he is a 5-star offensive tackle on the football team at Nixa (MO) H.S.
and the University of Miami has won the recruiting war! He was sitting between his parents when he made the
announcement.
PBs: 76-5 ½ (23.30), 206-0 (62.79)
Check out the great interviews from 2018 at the MileSplit link below.
https://www.ozarkssportszone.com/2021/04/24/following-in-olympic-footsteps/
Miami Wins! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ax_J95mudY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bukQjGJrj4
https://www.milesplit.com/videos/500233/jackson-cantwell-smashed-discus-nat-record
Age-Group Records: http://age-records.125mb.com
https://mo.milesplit.com/athletes/11754168-jackson-cantwell
Aaron Brown-Canada 33 (1992) 2024 Olympic gold medalist-4×100; silver medalist-2021, bronze medalist-2016
Bronze medalist in the 4×100 at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships
Other global placings
OG: 2021-200 (6th)
WC: 2013-100 (semi-finalist), 2015-100 (SF), 200 (1st round), 2017-200 (DQ-1st round), 4×100 (6th), 2019-100 (8th),
200 (6th), 4×100 (1st round), 2022-100 (8th), 200 (7th), 2023-200 (DQ-SF), 4×100 (1st round)
PBs: 6.55i (2014), 9.96 (2016), 19.95 (2019), 45.84 (2023), 37.48 (2022/NR); 2025 SBs: 10.05, 20.35
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Brown_(sprinter)
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/canada/aaron-brown-14366482
’24 OG 4×100 Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFcYcknQfWQ
Race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roYdc32jixM
Christa Vahlensieck—Germany 76 (1949) Former World Record holder at 10,000-Meters (34:01.4/1975) and the Marathon
(2:40:15.8/1975; 2:34:47.5/1978)
Marathon Wins: 1977—Berlin, 1986–California International, 1989—Vienna
Other Marathon Results: https://marathonview.net/marathon-results-of-Christa-Vahlensieck
WR Progression-Marathon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_world_record_progression
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christa_Vahlensieck
Deceased
Tom O’Hara 77 (1942-Aug.27, 2019) A senior at Chicago’s Loyola University at the time, set two World Indoor Records in
the mile, 3 weeks apart, in 1964
3:56.6—NYAC Games—Feb.13 (breaking Jim Beatty’s previous mark by 2 full seconds!)
3:56.4—March 6—In front of his hometown fans in Chicago (with Beatty providing commentary on
ABC’s TV coverage)
1962 NCAA X-Country Champion; 1964 U.S. Champion—1500m;
1964 U.S. Olympian—1500m (Semi-finalist)
(Video-3:56.4): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vILN1xjV-rI
www.nytimes.com/1964/03/07/ohara-breaks-his-world-indoor-mile-record-with-356-4-chicago-victory.html
Sports Illustrated Vault (scroll down): https://vault.si.com/vault/1964/06/22/running-is-such-sweet-torture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_O%27Hara
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78858#
Dink Templeton 65 (1897-August 7, 1962) Coach at Stanford (1921-1939)
Led Stanford to NCAA team titles in 1925, 1928, and 1934
1920 Olympic gold medalist—in Rugby! Also 4th in the Long Jump
Member of the National Hall of Fame
NY Times Obituary(for subscribers):
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79116; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dink_Templeton
http://www.ustfccca.org/awards/dink-templeton-ustfccca-special-inductee
Lon Spurrier 83 (1932-June 23, 2015) 1956 U.S. Olympian-800m (6th)
In 1955, he set World Records in the 880y (1:47.5) and 1000y (2:08.5)
Member of teams that set World Records in the Mile Relay (3:07.3) and 2-Mile Relay (7:23.0/1956)
All-American at Cal-Berkeley-880y: 1952 (=3[m]), 1953 (5th), 1954 (5th)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79084
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Spurrier
https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/lon-spurrier/252
https://www.racingpast.ca/bob-phillips.php?id=55
Shawnacy “Shawn” Barber 29 (1994-January 17, 2024) 2015 World & Pan-American Champion—Pole Vault;
3-time NCAA Champion (Akron)—2014-Indoor, 2015—Indoor/outdoor
4th at the 2016 World Indoor Championships; 2016 Olympian (10th);
Born in the U.S., but represented Canada, his father’s birthplace
Canadian Record holder: 19-8 ¼ (6.00/2016);
Former Collegiate Indoor Record holder: 19-4 ¼ (5.91/2015)
Former U.S. High School Record holder: 18-3 ½ [5.57+] (Kingwood Park,TX/2012)
Father George was also a PV’er—had a best of 17-4 ½ (5.29) and represented Canada at the inaugural World Championships in
1983
Died in early 2024 at the age of 29 (medical complications)
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/pole-vaulter-shawn-barber-obituary-1.7087965
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawnacy_Barber
WC Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIJUYZaDxLU
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/shawn-barber-comeback-pole-vault-1.5445834
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biBYvDG_l2I
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/133022
