by Larry Eder
Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field–May 22
1925–35,000 fans packed Harvard Stadium, hoping to see Paavo Nurmi break his own World Record in the mile (4:10.4), but gusty winds held him to a time of 4:15.2.
1954—The University of Texas ran 40.5 at the California Relays in Modesto to equal USC’s 18-year old World Record in the 440-Yard Relay. (Dean Smith, Jerry Prewitt, Alvin Frieden, Charles Thomas)
1976–It was a significant year, not only for America’s Bicentennial, but also for the IC4A (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America), which was celebrating its 100th anniversary. The best collegiate athletes in the East converged on Philadelphia’s Franklin Field, the home of the Penn Relays, with many seeking qualifying marks for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
The highlight of the meet was the 800-meters, with Northeastern’s Mark Lech, the former head coach at Maine, taking the field through the first 400-meters in a quick 51.7. Bucknell’s Thomas McLean used his patented kick to take over the lead on the final turn and won with a personal best and world-leading time of 1:45.3. He was followed closely by Villanova sophomore Mark Belger (1:46.0), and Seton Hall’s Orlando Greene (1:46.2), with Catholic’s Mark Robinson (1:47.0), Adelphi’s Bill Dabney (1:47.1), and Boston College’s Bill Martin (1:47.8) also recording fast times. Four of those six also made the final at the following month’s NCAA Championships, with McLean winning the national title, Belger finishing 3rd, Greene 4th, and Martin 6th. Belger would finish a close 4th at the Olympic Trials, while McLean finished 7th.
Villanova’s Eamonn Coghlan was a double winner at the meet, taking the 1500 over Princeton’s Craig Masback (3:40.6-3:42.3), and the 5000 over Providence’s Ray Treacy, now the long-time coach at his alma mater (14:03.0-14:03.8).
Tony Colon (Manhattan-3:40.6) won the Alumni 1500 over Ron Speirs (Rutgers-3:40.9), Denis Fikes (Penn-3:41.2), Ken Schappert (Villanova-3:42.0), Joe Savage (Manhattan-3:42.3), Jeff Kramer (Navy-3:43.7), Jerry Bouma (Villanova-3:44.9), and Mike Keogh (Manhattan-3:46.3).
McLean: https://bucknellian.net/55146/sports/from-the-herd/
1976–Frank Shorter (2:11:51), Bill Rodgers (2:11:58), and Don Kardong (2:13.54) took the top 3 places at the U..S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Eugene,Oregon.
Other notable finishers: 4.Tony Sandoval (2:14:58), 5.Tom Fleming (2:15:48), 6.Bob Varsha (2:15:50…9.Jeff Galloway (2:18:29), 10.Amby Burfoot (2:18:56).
A graduate of Emory Law School, Varsha went on to become a TV sportscaster and covered many track and field meets during the 1980s and 1990s.
History of the U.S. Men’s Marathon Trials
1976–Jamaica legend Don Quarrie ran 9.9 at the California Relays in Modesto to join seven other men as the World Record holder for 100-meters. It would be the last hand-timed WR in the 100 ratified by the IAAF. Steve Williams won the 200 in 19.9 to equal his own American Record.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_100_metres_world_record_progression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quarrie
1976–Kenya’s Mike Boit, who won Olympic bronze in the 800-meters in 1972, set Meet Records in the 800 (1:47.8) and 1500 (3:44.8) to lead Eastern New Mexico to the team title at the NAIA Championships in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. That gave him a total of nine individual NAIA titles (1973-880y; 1974-mile, 3-mile, x-country; 1975-800,1500, x-country); 1976-800,1500).
Boit, along with friend John Manners, formed The Kenya Scholar-Athlete Project in 2004. The organization helps place needy high school graduates in Kenya at colleges throughout the U.S.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Boit
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/mike-boit-7503
1987—Robert Emmiyan threw a scare into Bob Beamon’s legendary World Record of 29-2 ½ (8.90) in the Long Jump by reaching out to 29-1 (8.86) in the town of Tsaghkadzor in his native Armenia. Emmiyan broke his own European Record of 28-11 (8.81) and is still the 4th longest jumper in history.
Like Beamon in Mexico City, Emmiyan had the benefit of jumping at altitude (6,000’/1800m).
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10N9Q3Z-14
The Perfect Hang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et53cHRWS9I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Emmiyan
https://sport.mediamax.am/en/news/one-shot/25103
History’s 29-footers
29-4 ½ (8.95) Mike Powell USA 1991
29-2 ½ (8.90) Bob Beamon USA 1968
29-1 ¼ (8.87) Carl Lewis USA 1991
29-1 (8.86) Robert Emmiyan Armenia 1987
1988–UCLA athletes stole the show on their home track in Westwood,Ca, at the PAC-10 Championships. As reported yesterday, Gail Devers took back the American Record in the 100-meter hurdles from former Bruin Jackie Joyner-Kersee when she ran 12.61 in her heat. She then won the final in 12.68 and also won the 100 (11.05) and the Long Jump (22-1 3/4w [6.75]).
Danny Everett won the Men’s 400 in 44.34, a personal best, while teammate Steve Lewis, a freshman, finished 2nd in 44.65 to better Darrell Robinson’s World Junior Record of 44.69. Lewis added a 43.9 anchor on UCLA’s winning 4×400 relay to cap his memorable day.
Lewis would win the gold medal in the 400 at the Seoul Olympics later in the year, with Everett winning the bronze, and Devers won two Olympic golds in the 100-meters in 1992 and 1996.
Other Bruin winners who went on to future Olympic glory were Mike Marsh (100-10.23), who took the gold in the 200 in Barcelona in 1992, and Kevin Young (400h-48.71), who won his specialty at the same Games in the World Record time of 46.78 (since broken).
1988–East Germany’s Ulf Timmerman set a World Record of 75-8 (23.06) in the Men’s Shot Put in Khania, Greece.
WR Progression(meters): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_shot_put_world_record_progression
Conversions: http://legacy.usatf.org/statistics/calculators/markConversions/index.asp
1994—Jackie Joyner-Kersee jumped 24-7 (7.49) at the New York Games to break her own American Record in the Long Jump (24-5 ½ [7.45]). She fell just short of the World Record of 24-8 ¼ (7.52).
JJK dedicated her performance to her namesake, Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, who had died just three days earlier. “My great grandmother, Evelyn Joyner, gave me the name Jacqueline. She said someday I would be the first lady of something.”
One of the best matchups of the meet came in the Women’s 400, where France’s Marie-José Pérec edged Jearl Miles, the 1993 World Champion, 50.59-50.68.
2004—After Maurice Greene won the 100-meters (9.86w) at the Home Depot Inv. in Carson(CA), he quickly turned around and ran back towards the finish line, ripping off his spikes as if they were on fire! Not to worry, though, since hurdler Larry Wade, Greene’s HSI teammate, came to the rescue, cooling off the spikes with a fire extinguisher!
While some purists criticized Greene for staging the obvious stunt, the vast majority of fans took it all in as good fun and enjoyed the fact that video of the event made it onto ESPN’s Sports Center!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSt0SMgIa9g
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=428934
Born On This Day*
Christine Mboma–Namibia 22 (2003) 2021 Olympic silver medalist—200m
2021 World Junior/Under-20 Champion—200m
A “DSD” athlete (see link below), World Athletics regulations in effect at the time kept her from competing in the 400, her
favorite event, at the 2021 Olympics
PBs: 10.97 (2022), 21.78 (2021), 49.22 (2021), 2:03.27 (2021); 2025 SB: 11.88
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Mboma
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/namibia/christine-mboma-14913394
“Did Not Lose Hope”: https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/68838374
DSD: https://run.outsideonline.com/general/dsd-athletes-meaning-and-world-athletics-rules/
Laulauga “Lagi” Tausaga-Collins 27 (1998)—2023 World Champion—Discus…first American woman to win the event at the Worlds…upset
teammate Valarie Allman to win the title
Fouled 3 times in the qualifying round at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials!
3 fouls in the final at the 2019 Worlds…12th in 2022
2019 NCAA Champion—Discus (Iowa); 2021-6th in the Shot Put, 2nd in the Discus
3rd at the 2019 U.S. Championships, 2nd-2022 & 2023
PBs:59-7 3/4i (18.18/2021), 232-0 (70.72/2025/#2 All-Time);
2023 WC: https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/tausaga-makes-u-s-discus-history-in-budapest
2019 NCAA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWtR0NB8cjA
https://hawkeyesports.com/roster/laulauga-tausaga/
Eleanor Patterson—Australia 29 (1996) 2022 World Champion—High Jump…silver medalist in 2023, 8th in 2015
2024 Olympic co-bronze medalist…2016 (qual.round), 2021 (5th)
Silver medalist at the 2022 & 2025 World Indoor Championships
2014 Commonwealth Games Champion…silver medalist in 2022
2013 World Youth Champion
PB: 6-7 ½ (2.02/2022/Area Record), 6-6 ¾I (2.00/2022/Area Indoor Record)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Patterson
https://www.instagram.com/eleanorpatterson/?hl=en
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/eleanor-patterson-14411267
2022 WC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiemTqywW6I
Finding Eleanor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jOCTWSluFI
Deceased
Kurt Bendlin—Germany 81 (1943-August 29, 2024) 1968 Olympic bronze medalist—Decathlon;
Former World Record holder—8319 (1967/8235-1984 tables)
Ranked #1 in the world in 1967 (1965-2, 1968-3, 1969-5, 1970-2, 1971-4
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/70151
Rankings: https://trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/
Frank Nelson 83 (1887-July 16, 1970) 1912 Olympic silver medalist—Pole Vault
1910 IC4A Champion (Yale)
From Olympedia: “…was a great all-round athlete for the Elis. At Yale, in addition to playing hockey for four years,
Nelson played soccer, baseball, and rowed for the crew team”.
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78836
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Nelson_(athlete)
