RelatedPosts
This Day in Track & Field–May 12
1888–Yale’s Charles Sherrill is credited with becoming the first man to use the “crouching” start in a sprint race (at least in the U.S.–see below). Sherrill won the 100y and 220y at a meet sponsored by the Rockaway Hunting Club in Cedarhurst, Long Island.
In addition to winning 7 IC4A sprint titles in the late 1880s (4-100y/1887-1890, 3-220y/1888-1890), Sherrill was also the 1887 U.S. Champion in the 100-yard dash.
In an era when there were fewer restrictions on eligibility, Sherrill also finished 2nd in the IC4A 100 in 1886. In 1894, he organized the first international collegiate track meet, a match between Yale and Oxford. Sherrill went on to have a distinguished career as a lawyer, a U.S. ambassador, and as a pivotal member of the International Olympic Committee.
Sherrill reportedly learned the new starting technique from famed coach Mike Murphy, who observed runners such as New Zealand’s Bobby MacDonald using the innovative style on the professional circuit in Australia and New Zealand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_H._Sherrill_(ambassador)
(For Subscribers) NY Times Obituary(1936): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/06/26/87953037.html?pageNumber=19
Murphy: https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/michael-c-murphy/
1924–Former BYU Cougar Clint Larsen cleared 6-9 ½ (2.07m) in an exhibition High Jump in Magna, Utah. He had earlier cleared 6-7 7/8 (2.02+) in an unofficial meet in 1917. The World Record at the time of both jumps was 6-7 5/16 (2.01+), but neither of Larsen’s marks were ratified by the IAAF.
1928—Stanford’s Emerson “Bud” Spencer set a World Record of 47.0 for 400-meters at the Pacific AAU meet on his home track. The previous record of 47.6 was set by Great Britain’s Eric Liddell (“Chariots of Fire”) in 1924.
Spencer went on to win the NCAA title the following month and was a member of the U.S. team that won the 4×400 (and set a World Record) at the Olympics in Amsterdam.
Hugo “Swede” Leistner, the 1925 NCAA Champion while at Stanford, set an American Record of 14.8 in the 120y-hurdles.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_400_metres_world_record_progression
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79077
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Spencer
Leistner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Leistner
1956–Two sporting legends tied for first place in the High Jump at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, California. Charlie Dumas, who would become history’s first 7-footer the following month at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and a young basketball player named Bill Russell both cleared 6-9 ¼ (2.06+).
Cordner Nelson wrote of Russell in T&F News at the time, “…a good coach would have him clearing 7’-3” (2.21) or better in a few months…if (the 6’-10”[2.08+]) Russell wanted to make the effort”. Both would win gold medals at the Melbourne Olympics later in the year, Dumas in the High Jump and Russell, who had led the University of San Francisco to its 2nd straight NCAA title in March, as a key member of the winning U.S. basketball team.
Russell was ranked #7 in the world in the High Jump in 1956 by T&F News (Dumas was #1), but gave up the opportunity for further glory in the event to pursue a career in the NBA. I guess the Hall-of-Famer made the right decision, leading the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons.
Dumas HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/charles-dumas
1962–The University of Oregon, which has produced more than 30 sub-4 minute milers over the years, used three of them here as they ran 16:08.9 (ratified as 16:09.0) in the 4-Mile Relay at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, California, to shatter the previous World Record of 16:23.8, which was set by a Peter Snell-anchored New Zealand team the previous year.
Leading off for the Ducks was Archie San Romani,Jr., who ran 4:03.5 and would later run 3.57.6 in 1964. He was followed by Canadian Vic Reeve (4:05.4), the only one of the four who never broke four, and Keith Forman (4:02.3), who ran 3:58.3 later in the year. With Dyrol Burleson, the American Record holder in the mile (3:57.6) and 1960 Olympic finalist (6th) on the anchor, a new record was a certainty, but “Burly” raced as if every second counted and finished off Oregon’s great run with an anchor split of 3:57.7. Burleson made his 2nd Olympic final in 1964, finishing 5th in Tokyo..
New Zealand regained the WR when it ran 16:02.8 in 1972, but Oregon’s mark stood as the Collegiate Record for 37-years until Arkansas ran 16:07.96 at the 1999 Penn Relays. Michigan improved the record to 16:04.54 at the 2005 Penn Relays, but the Ducks took back the record when they ran 16:03.24 in 2009. The CR was taken to another level in 2024 when Villanova (15:51.91), Virginia (15:52.30), and Georgetown (15:52.56) broke through the 16-minute barrier at the Penn Relays.
Burleson was inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame in December, 2010. https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45597&do=news&news_id=204607
1962–There was another record performance on the same day on the other side of the country. Running at home in a dual meet against the Quantico Marines, Villanova’s Frank Budd, who had set a World Record in the 100-yard dash (9.2) the previous year, ran 20-flat to tie Dave Sime’s World Record for 220-Yards on a straightaway. Budd also won the 100y in 9.3 to match Sime’s fastest 1-day double.
1973—19-year old Steve Williams ran 9.1 at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, California, to join Bob Hayes, Harry Jerome, Jim Hines, Charlie Greene, and John Carlos as a World Record holder at 100-yards.
The 6’-3” (1.90+) Williams, who was ranked among the top-5 in the world in the 100-meters by Track & Field News from 1973-1978 (#1 in ’73 and ’75, and #1 in the 200 in ‘73), was inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 2013.
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/steve-williams
1973—With Rick Wohlhuter contributing a 1:44.8 anchor, the University of Chicago Track Club (UCTC), set a World Record of 7:10.4 in the 2-mile relay at the Martin Luther King International Freedom Games in Durham,NC. Preceding Wohlhuter were Tom Bach (1:50.5), Ken Sparks (1:47.1), and Lowell Paul (1:48.0).

1984–World Record holder Joan Benoit (Samuelson) won the first U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials for women (2:31:04) in, appropriately enough, Olympia, Washington, only 2-1/2 weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Joining her on the U.S. team were Julie Brown (2:31:41) and Julie Isphording (2:32:26). 16-year old Cathy Schiro, a junior at Dover(NH) H.S., finished 9th, setting a prep record of 2:34:24. Benoit would go on to win the inaugural Olympic Marathon for women in L.A. later in the year

Other notable finishers(and some of their accomplishments):
- Lisa Rainsberger (2:33:10): winner—Boston (1985), Chicago (1988,1989), also 4th at the 1988 and 1992 Trials
- Margaret Groos (2:33:38): former World Indoor Record holder—5000m
- Nancy Ditz (2:33:58): 1988 Olympian
- Patti Catalano (2:36:13): 4-time winner of the Honolulu Marathon; member of the National Distance Running Hall of
Fame
- Jenny Spangler (2:40:18): 1996 Olympian
- Kim Merritt (2:43:31): Winner—New York (1975), Boston (1976)
Placing 168th in 3:00:28 was Jaqi Hansen, the woman who led the fight to have the Women’s Marathon added to the Olympic program! For Hansen, who set two World Records in the Marathon in the mid-1970s, it was her 4th marathon in as many months.
A celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the race was held in Olympia in 2024, with many of the original participants in attendance.
https://www.facebook.com/OlympiaTrialsLegacy/
Kenny Moore’s Sports Illustrated story: https://vault.si.com/vault/1984/05/21/a-joyous-journey-for-joan
T&F News Cover(June): https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1984_06.jpg
1985 SI Article: https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/03/04/her-life-is-in-apple-pie-order

Orlando, Florida
February 3, 2024, photo by Kevin Morris
2002–Tennessee sophomore Justin Gatlin set a Collegiate Record of 19.86 for 200-Meters at the SEC Championships in Starkville,Mississippi. The previous record of 19.87 was co-held by Mississippi State’s Lorenzo Daniel (1988) and Florida’s John Capel (1999). Gatlin also won the 100 (10.11) and ran the 2nd leg on the winning 4×100 relay (38.66).
Gatlin’s 19.86 is still =#8 on the All-Time College list.
https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/collegiate-all-time-list-men/
2006—Gatlin ran 9.77 for 100-meters in Doha to ostensibly equal Asafa Powell’s World Record, but the mark was never ratified due to his subsequent 4-year suspension.
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/gatlins-time-corrected-to-977-equals-100m-w
http://people.com/sports/olympic-runner-justin-gatlins-troubled-history/
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/justin-gatlin-176453
2017—Texas A&M senior Lindon Victor scored 8539 points at the SEC Championships in Columbia, South Carolina, to better his own Collegiate Record of 8472, set earlier in the season, but there was too much wind assistance in the relevant events for the score to be accepted as a new record.
(10.64(+3.6), 24-1½/7.35(+2.1), 49-9¾/15.18, 6-8¾/2.05, 48.74 [4365],
14.45(+1.8), 181‑2/55.22, 15-5/4.70, 226-3/68.97, 4:55.91 [4174]);
2018—Tori Franklin set an American Record of 48-8 ¼ (14.84) in the Triple Jump in Baie-Mahault, Guadaloupe. The previous mark of 48-3 ¼ (14.71) was set by Keturah Orji in 2016. Franklin also had a 2nd mark of 48-6 (14.78) that was better than Orji’s AR. Orji would regain the record when she jumped 48-11 ½ (14.92) in April, 2021.
Born On This Day*
Andy Downin 52 (1973) 2001 U.S. Champion—1500-meters… Most of the pre-meet attention centered on prep Alan
Webb, who had recently broken Jim Ryun’s H.S. Mile Record, but it was Downin who surprised everyone with his
come-from-behind win. (Webb finished 5th)
All-American at Georgetown—5th in the 1500 at the 1996 NCAA Championships
PBs-3:36.70 (2001), 3:56.25 (2001)
Co-Founder of the Millenium Mile (with brother Matt and John Mortimer)
Senior Manager – Global Running Marketing-New Balance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyj2foMZQiU
https://mstca.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/49
http://www.millenniumrunning.com/millenniummile/history
Lisa Martin-Ondieki—Australia 65 (1960)—1988 Olympic silver medalist—Marathon (7th in 1984/DNF-1992, 1996)
2-time Commonwealth Games Champion (1986,1990)
Winner 1992 NY City Marathon; PBs: 31:11.72 (’92), 2:23:51 (1988)
Former 400-meter hurdler
Athletics-Australia Hall of Fame
https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame-directory/lisa-ondieki/
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Martin
http://www.time-to-run.com/marathon/athletes/women/lisa-ondieki
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/64547
Tom Byers 70 (1955) 1974 U.S. Junior and Senior Champion—1500m (2nd to New Zealand’s Rod Dixon at the
Senior Championships); PBs: 3:35.75, 3:50.84 (1982)
All-American at Ohio State—3rd in the 1000-meters at the 1976 NCAA Indoor Championships
Surprise winner at 1500-meters in Oslo in 1981 after the rest of the world-class field (Ovett, Walker, Scott, Cram)
let him get too far ahead. Turns out the chase pack was given Byers’ splits as their own (1:54.9, 2:53.0), so they
thought he was going out at an insane pace and would come back to them. By the time they realized what was
happening, it was too late, Byers winning in 3:39.01, while Ovett’s strong finish brought him in a close 2nd in
3:39.53.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Byers_(athlete)
T&F News Interview: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/tom_byers.pdf
https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/honors/hall-of-fame-inductees/tom-byers/49
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1686710904693297
The Pacemaker That Beat the Best (Includes race video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7TQUuB53Wg
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/27/sports/byers-beats-ovett-in-1500.html
Renate Stecher—Germany 75 (1950)—6-time Olympic medalist
Gold—1972 (100,200), 1976 (4×100)
Silver—1972 (4×100), 1976 (100)
Bronze—1976 (200)
Former World Record holder in the 100 (11.07/1972) and 200 (22.40/’72, 22.38/’73)
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renate_Stecher
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69705
Videos:
www.bing.com/videos/search?q=%22renate+stecher%22&qpvt=%22ranata+stecher%22&FORM=VDRE
WR Progressions
100: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_100_metres_world_record_progression
200: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_200_metres_world_record_progression