This Day in Track & Field, June 30, Mary Decker Slaney breaks AR for Mile (1979), by Walt Murphy

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

This Day in Track & Field–June 30

1934–4 World Records were set at the U.S. Championships in front of 17,000 fans in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

• 400-meter hurdles-Glenn “Slats” Hardin (51.8)
• 1500—Bill Bonthron (3:48.8)…Glenn Cunningham(3:48.9) was also under the previous WR of 3:49.0. Down 15

yards with only 100 left in the race, Bonthron “let go with one of the most devastating sprint finishes ever

seen in a middle distance race today to beat Cunningham by two feet”.(As Arthur Daley wrote in the NY

Times). It was the 3^rd consecutive weekend that the two had faced off against each other. Cunningham

had beaten “Bonny” by 40 yards in the mile at the Princeton Invitational on June 16 while setting a World Record of 4:06.8. A week later, Bonthron(Princeton) beat Cunningham(Kansas) to win the mile at the NCAA Championships.

• 110-meter hurdles—Percy Beard (14.4-heat/mark not ratified by the IAAF/won final in 14.6)
• Shot Put—Jack Torrance (55-5  ¼ [16.89])

An additional American Record was set in the Steeplechase by Harold Manning (9:13.1). 2^nd was the previous

Record holder, Joe McCluskey.

Other notable champions included Ralph Metcalfe, winner of the 100-200 double (10.4, 21.3) for the 3^rd year in a

row, and Jesse Owens in the Long Jump (25-8 [7.82]/was 2^nd in the 100).

NY Times (for subscribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/07/01/95049109.html?pageNumber=102

Top 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_USA_Outdoor_Track_and_Field_Championships

https://digital.library.sc.edu/blogs/mirc/2016/08/09/jesse-owens-at-the-1934-amateur-athletic-union-track-and-field-championships/

1945–Elliott Denman, who competed in the 50k-walk at the 1956 Olympics, has written about T&F for many media outlets for more than 50 years. He got his introduction to the sport at this year’s U.S. Championships on NY’s Randall’s Island. He takes a look back at the meet and everything that came after.

Among the highlights:

Barney Ewell equaled the Meet Record in the 100-Meters (10.3), Jamaica’s Herb McKenley won the 400 over Jimmy Herbert and John Taylor (all 3 timed in 48.4), and Herb Douglas (24-1/4 [7.32]) won the Long Jump over Eulace Peacock (23-10  ¾ [7.28]).

In The Beginning:

“Thanks, Mom.

Thanks again. And again and again.

  For being the great Mom you were, of course. For pointing me in all the right directions, of course.  And, all these years later, let me say one direction in particular.

  You loaded me, your fifth-grade second son, into the old family Dodge that June day in 1945, chauffered me down from 225th Street, down over the Triborough Bridge, down the ramp to the chunk of land seemingly equadistant between the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, and to the discovery ofRandall’s Island.

Who’d have ever figured that short expedition would evolve into a life-changer?”

http://www.runblogrun.com/2014/06/randalls-island-a-look-back-at-athletic-history-by-elliott-denman.html

Top 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_USA_Outdoor_Track_and_Field_Championships

NY Times(for subcribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1945/07/01/94855582.html?pageNumber=29

1950—Bob Mathias set a World Record of 8,042 points (7287-current tables) at the U.S. Decathlon Championships in his hometown of Tulare, California.

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decathlon_world_record_progression

1956 (Updated)–Future Olympic champions and Hall-of-Famers (bios linked-when available) were on display as the 2-day U.S. Olympic Trials came to an exciting close at the L.A. Coliseum.

Former Manhattan College star Lou Jones won the 400 in 45.2 to break his own World Record of 45.4, which was set the previous year in the altitude of Mexico City. 2^nd was Jim Lea (45.7) and 3rd was Villanova’s Charlie Jenkins (46.1), who went on to win the gold medal in the 400 at the Melbourne Olympics.

Bobby Morrow, winner of the 100 the previous day, completed his sprint double by taking the 200 in 20.6, which equalled the World Record (time was never ratified­ by the IAAF). 2^nd & 3^rd were Thane Baker (20.7) and Andy Stanfield (20.9),the 1952 Olympic champion. Morrow would repeat his double win in Melbourne and would win a 3rd gold medal in the 4×100 relay.

Arnie Sowell, who had set an American Record of 1:46.7 two weeks earlier at the NCAA Championships,  led the 800 through the first 400-meters (51.7), with Mal Whitfield, the 2-time defending Olympic Champion, challenging him with 200-meters to go.

Tom Courtney, the 1955 NCAA 1/2-mile champion from Fordham,  took the lead  down the homestretch and won in 1:46.4 to regain the AR from Sowell, while a disheartened Whitfield faded to 6th. Grabbing the 3^rd spot on the team was Lon Spurrier (1:47.6). Courtney went on to win the gold medal in Melbourne.

Jack Davis, who had set a World Record of 13.4 in his heat at the previous week’s AAU Championships (he was 3rd in the final), finished in a dead-heat with NCAA Champion Lee Calhoun in the 110-meter hurdles as both were timed in 13.8. Duke’s Joel Shankle edged Milt Campbell for 3^rd, with both being timed in 14.1. Harrison Dillard, the reigning Olympic Champion, finished 6th. In another close finish,  Calhoun edged Davis to win the gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics. Campbell would make the U.S. team in the Decathlon the following month and would win the gold medal in Melbourne.

Fortune Gordien won the Discus with a throw of 187-8 (57.21), while 19-year old Kansas sophomore Al Oerter, who was only 4th at the NCAA and 6th at the AAU Championships, finished a surprising 2nd (178-7). 3^rd was UCLA’s Ron Drummond (177-4/54.06). No one could have foreseen at the time that this marked the beginning of an amazing Olympic career for Oerter, who would win four straight gold medals in the discus.

Other gold medalists-to-be competing on the final day were pole vaulter Bob Richards (15-1, 4.60), and Greg Bell, who finished in a tie for first with John Bennette (25-8  1/2, 7.83) in the Long Jump here. Finishing 3rd in the LJ was Rafer Johnson, who would win the silver medal in the decathlon in Melbourne and the gold medal 4 years later in Rome.

2^nd in the PV was George Mattos (14-10  ½ [4.53]), while Jim Graham was the only one of five other vaulters who cleared 14-8  ½ (4.48) without having any misses. When Graham suffered an injury in September, he gave up his spot on the team to Bob Gutowski, who went on to win the silver medal at the Olympics!

As Richard Hymans wrote in his wonderful “The History of the U.S. Olympic Trials” (see link below), “If the Melbourne Olympics were the highlight of the season, the Olympic Trials ran them close”.

Results: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1956.pdf

Sports Illustrated Vault:

https://vault.si.com/vault/1956/07/09/olympians-are-your-neighbors

Morrow

https://vault.si.com/vault/1956/07/02/bioperse-bobby-morrow

SI Sportsman of the Year: https://vault.si.com/vault/1957/01/07/sportsman-of-1956

Fame is Fleeting(Dave Sime): https://vault.si.com/vault/2001/08/20/dave-sime-fastest-human-july-2-1956

1968—The Semi-Olympic Trials were held at the L.A. Coliseum and one of the events was the backdrop for one of the major highlights of my life-long involvement in the sport.

It was an era when companies could conduct contests that required would-be participants to purchase a certain product before entering. Track and Field News conducted such a contest in conjunction with the Semi-Trials.

For every $5 of merchandise purchased from the magazine, you were entitled to one entry into their prediction contest, which asked for the winning time in the 1500-meters.  I sent in five entries, with times ranging from a quick 3:38.9 to a tactical 3:43.6. As luck would have it, Villanova’s Dave Patrick won the race in exactly 3:43.6!

I must have forgotten about the contest, or my predictions, since I was pleasantly shocked the following Monday when I received a call at my Wall Street job from the magazine, informing me that mine was the only one of some 3000 entries that had the exact winning time and that I was the Grand Prize winner! And Grand it was–an 11-day trip to the Mexico City Olympics as part of the T&FN Olympic Tour(TAFNOT), plus $100 spending money!

Since I had already signed up for the Tour (my second with the magazine), I was able to take my brother Pete along with me to Mexico City. He had such a good time, he and his wife Barbara attended the 1972 and 1976 Olympics with T&FN.

Sadly, it turned out to be a meaningless victory for Patrick, who had been led to believe that his win guaranteed a place on the U.S. team that would compete at the Mexico City Olympics. But when he and coach Jumbo Elliott arrived at South Lake Tahoe for the final Trials, they found out that was not the case, and he would have to finish in the top 3 to make the team!

With his training geared towards running well in Mexico City, Patrick finished a disappointing 4^th at Echo Summit behind Jim Ryun, Marty Liquori, Patrick’s former teammate at Villanova, and Tom Von Ruden.  (See September 16).

When I met Patrick years later and thanked him for running 3:43.6, he said good-naturedly, “At least someone got something out of that race!”.

Results/Notes: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1968.pdf

The Non-Trial Trials(SI): https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/07/08/the-nontrial-trials

1969 – Derek Clayton of Australia ran 2:08:34 in Antwerp, Belgium to set a new World Record in the Marathon.

WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_world_record_progression

Clayton: http://www.time-to-run.com/marathon/athletes/men/derek-clayton

1977–Washington State’s Samson Kimobwa, the winner of the NCAA 10,000 earlier in the month, surprised the track world by setting  a World Record of 27:30.5 in the 10,000-meters at the World Games in Helsinki. The previous mark of 27:30.8 was set  by Great Britain’s Dave Bedford in 1973. Finishing 20th in the race was Tom Fleming (29:34.31), the winner of the NY City Marathon in 1973 and 1975.

Kimobwa, who became a schoolteacher once his running career ended, passed away suddenly in 2013 at the age of 57.

WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_10,000_metres_world_record_progression

Career: http://thegreatdistancerunners.de/SamsonKimobwa.html

1979—Mary Decker-Slaney ran  4:23.5 for the mile on a hot and windy day at the Brooks Meet of Champions in Philadelphia to smash the previous American Record of 4:28.2. Finishing a distant 2^nd and 3^rd were the two previous AR holders–Francie Larrieu (4:27.6) and Jan Merrill (4:28.3).

There was no record in the Men’s Mile, but it was a high-class affair, with Eamonn Coghlan (3:52.9) beating Steve Scott (3:53.4), Craig Masback (3:54.7), and John Walker (3:55.0).

From the NY Times:

There was one extra attraction. After Benn Fields and Franklin Jacobs had high‐jumped 7 feet 3-3/4 inches (2.22), with Fields winning on fewer misses, Dwight Stones high‐jumped for the first time in a year and cleared 7 feet 3 inches (2.20).

Stones has been ruled a professional because he refused to share his winnings from the televised Superstars competition with the Amateur Athletic Union. He cannot compete in an amateur meet, but he can compete once an amateur meet ends.  “It isn’t the same,” he said, “but at least people can see I can still jump.”

AR Progression-Women’s Mile

4:39.6     Doris Brown  1971

4:38.7     Francie Larrieu 1973

4:37.88   Francie Larrieu  1974

4:33.1     Francie Larrieu  1974

4:31.69   Francie Larrieu  1975

4:30.98   Jan Merrill  1977

4:28.2     Francie Larrieu  1977

4:23.5    Mary Decker  1979

4:21.68   Mary Decker 1980

4:21.46   Mary Decker 1982

4:18.08   Mary Decker 1982

4:16.71   Mary Decker-Slaney 1985

1987–Sweden’s Patrik Sjöberg cleared 7-11  ¼ (2.42) in Stockholm to break Igor Paklin’s World Record (7-10  ¾ (2.41m) in the High Jump.

WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_high_jump_world_record_progression

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrik_Sjöberg

2008–Hayward Field in Eugene has been the setting for many memorable races over the years, but the men’s 800-meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials (June 27-July 6) will forever be placed at the top of the list by many who were present in the stands this day.

Seasoned journalists who had witnessed many major sporting events during their careers couldn’t remember hearing a louder roar than the one that erupted when Nick Symmonds, Andrew Wheating, and Christian Smith, all of whom trained in Eugene, all came from behind in the homestretch to secure the three Olympic berths. Symmonds (1:44.10) and Wheating (1:45.03) were a clear 1-2, but Smith had  to lunge at the finish, going airborne to edge Khadevis Robinson to secure 3rd place. As a bonus, Smith ran 1:45.47 to get under the Olympic “A” qualifying standard of 1:46.00.

Here’s what Tom Jordan, the director of the Prefontaine Classic, had to say about the race:

“It was the single most exciting moment in track and field I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been in the sport 40 years, been to 10 Olympic Games, a number of Olympic trials, put on 25 Prefontaine Classics — and that surpassed them all.”  (From the Oregonian in 2009).

Others making the team:

Decathlon-1.Bryan Clay 8832 (Trials Record), 2.Trey Hardee 8534, 3.Tom Pappas 8511…5.Ashton Eaton 8122.  Clay

would go on to win the gold medal in Beijing, Hardee would win World titles in 2009 and 2011, while Pappas had

already won a World title in 2003. 5th-placer Eaton would go on to win 2 Olympic (2012, 2016) and 2 World

(2013, 2015) titles and set two World Records in the event.

Men’s 5000-1.Bernard Lagat 13:27.47, 2.Matt Tegenkamp 13:29.68, 3.Ian Dobson 13:29.76

Women’s 800-1.Hazel Clark 1:59.82, 2.Alice Schmidt 2:00.46, 4.Nicole Teter 2:01.30…3^rd-placer Kameisha Bennett

(2:01.20) didn’t have an Olympic “A” qualifier. Teter and Bennett were among 4 runners who fell in the first semi-

Final. All were advanced on appeal, leading to a 12-woman final.

Women’s Javelin-1.Kara Patterson-Winger 191-9 (58.44), 4.Kim Kreiner 183-5 (55.90)…only ones who had met the “A” qualifying standard

Symmonds Breaks Down The Men’s 800(Must Watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2xouEfXyzo

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Fwxo50ZiI

A look back(2009): http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2009/06/eugenes_magic_moment_the_800me.html

(Link also includes audio commentary by Doug Binder)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/sports/olympics/02track.html?_r=0

Results/Notes:

https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2008.pdf

2012—Aries Merritt won the 110-meter Hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials (June 22-July 1) in Eugene over Jason Richardson as both got under 13-seconds (12.93-12.98). Finishing 3^rd was Jeff Porter (13.08). Merritt, who was a winner of the 60-Meter Hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in March, filled out his dream year by winning  Olympic gold in London and setting the current World Record of 12.80 in Brussels.

Allyson Felix won the 200-meters in 21.69 to move to #3 on the All-Time U.S. performers’ list and would win gold in London. Making the team in their 2^nd event were Carmelita Jeter (22.11/100) and Sanya Richards-Ross (22.22/400). Those 3 would account for 8 Olympic medals in London—Felix (gold-200,4×100,4×400), Jeter (gold-4×100, silver-100, bronze-200), Richards-Ross (gold-400, 4×400).

Former Florida teammates Christian Taylor (57-10  ¼ [17.63]) and Will Claye (57-7 [17.55]) finished 1-2 in the Triple Jump and went on to win gold and silver, respectively, in London.

Others making the team:

Women’s High Jump-1. Chaunté Lowe 6-7 (2.01), 2.Brigetta Barrett 6-7 (2.01/would win silver in London), 3.Amy Acuff

6-4  ¾ (1.95/makes her 5^th team just two weeks shy of her 37^th birthday!)

Heptathlon-1.Hyleas Fountain 6419, 2.Sharon Day 6343, 3.Chantae McMillan 6188

Men’s 20k-Walk:1.Trevor Barron 1:23:00.1 (at 19, youngest American ever to make the team in this event)

Results: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2012.pdf

2018—Qatar’s Abderrahmane Samba threw a scare into Kevin Young’s 26-year old World Record of 46.78 when he won the 400-meter hurdles in Paris in 46.98, the 2nd-fastest time in history. For Samba, who had a best of 48.31 entering the 2018 season, it was his 5^th personal best since April.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNFTlZXnn4o

Born On This Day*

Pedro Pablo Pichardo—Cuba/Portugal (2018) 32 (1993) 2021 Olympic gold medalist-Triple Jump; won silver in 2024

2022 World Champion….2-time silver medalist (2013,2015/4^th-2019)…missed the 2023 World Championships due

to “lower back pain”

2022 European Champion…2-time European Indoor Champion—2021, 2023

2-time silver medalist at the World Indoor Championships-2014, 2022

2015 Pan-American Games Champion; 2012 World Junior/Under-20 Champion

Native of Cuba became a Portugese citizen in December, 2017

PB: 59-4 (18.08/2015/#6 All-Time), 57-9i (17.60/2023)  2025 SB: 55-11  ¾ (17.06)

All-Time List: https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/world-all-time-list-men/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Pablo_Pichardo

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qWpf_iCH30

Asbel Kiprop—Kenya 36 (1989)  2008 Olympic gold medalist—1500m  (2012-12^th, 2016-6^th)

3-time World Champion (2011, 2013, 2015/4^th in 2007 & 2009, 9^th in 2017)

Member of the Kenyan team that set a World Record of 14:22.22 in the 4×1500 at the 2014 World Relays.

(Collins Cheboi 3:38.5, Silas Kiplagat 3:32.4, James Magut 3:39.0, Asbel Kiprop 3:32.3)

An outspoken critic of doping in the sport, he received a 4-year ban for testing positive for EPO in

November, 2017. Still maintains his innocence.

PBs: 1:43.15 (’11), 2:14.23 (’16), 3:26.69 (’15/#3 All-Time), 3:48.50 (’09), 7:42.32 (’07)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbel_Kiprop

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/114599

2008 OG Recap: https://www.olympedia.org/results/257212

https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/asbel-kiprop-14208403

Doping Charge

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/04/epo-suspect-asbel-kiprop-athletics-integrity-unit

www.si.com/olympics/2019/04/22/asbel-kiprop-doping-ban-four-years-athletics-integrity-unity-innocence-claim

Betsy Saina—Kenya/USA (4-20-21) 37 (1988)  3-time NCAA Champion(Iowa State):2012-XC, Indoor 5k, 2013-10k

2016 Olympian—10k(5^th), 8^th-2015 World Championships-10k

10^th at the 2019 Boston Marathon; DNF at the 2024 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials

Became a U.S. citizen in 2021

2-time U.S. Champion—25k/Road (2023, 2024); 2024 U.S. Half-Marathon Champion

PBs:8:38.01 (’14), 8:43.19i (’15), 14:39.49 (’14), 14:57.18i (’16), 30:07.78 (’16), 67:49 (’19), 2:19:17 (’24)

Son Kalya was born in December, 2021

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_Sain

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