by Alfonz Juck
Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service ([email protected])
This Day in Track & Field–August 26
1950—The Association of Track & Field Statisticians (ATFS) was formed at a meeting during the European Championships in Brussels.
https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/atfs-70-years-history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Track_and_Field_Statisticians#Don_Potts
On the track, Czech Emil Zátopek won the 5000-meters in 14:03.0, a Championship Record. It was the 2nd title for Zátopek, who had won the 10,000 three days earlier in 29:12.0, also a CR. France’s Alain Mimoun was a distant 2nd in both races.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_European_Athletics_Championships
1977—A year after winning Olympic gold in Montreal, East Germany’s Rosemarie Ackermann first cleared 6-5 ½ (1.97) in West Berlin to match her 12-day old World Record in the High Jump, then made it over the 2-meters barrier (6-6 ¾) on her first attempt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemarie_Ackermann
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_high_jump_world_record_progression
1979—Highlights of the 2nd World Cup in Montreal (August 24-26), with many athletes returning to the scene of their Olympic success in 1976.
Evelyn Ashford was a double winner in the Women’s sprints, beating East Germany’s Marlies Göhr in the 100 (8-25/ 11.06-11.17), and Marita Koch in the 200 (8-24/21.83/American Record-22.02). Koch would win the 400 (48.91) on the final day of competition.
Larry Myricks (U.S.) won the Men’s Long Jump with a leap of 27-11 ½ (8.52), 2nd only to Bob Beamon’s altitude-aided World Record of 29-2 ½ (8.90) on the all-time list.
Two days after winning the Men’s 10,000-meters (27:53.1), Ethiopia’s Miruts “The Shifter” Yifter, representing Africa, completed the distance double by winning the 5000 (13:35.9).
Renaldo Nehemiah (U.S./13.39) won a close 110-hurdles over Thomas Munkelt (EG/13.42) and Alejandro Casañas (Americas/Cuba/13.44).
Olympic champion Edwin Moses (U.S.) won the Men’s 400-meter hurdles in 47.53, just short of his World Record of 47.45.
The Men’s High Jump was won by Franklin Jacobs (U.S.) on misses over Jacek Wszoła (Europe/Poland), with both men clearing 7-5 ½ (2.27). Wszoła had won Olympic gold here 3 years earlier.
Reversing the Olympic finish, East Germany’s Wolfgang Schmidt (216-7 [66.02]) won the Men’s Discus over American Mac Wilkins (213-0 [64.92]).
Debbie Brill (Americas) set a Canadian Record of 6-5 ½ (1.97) while winning the High Jump over a field that included Italy’s Sara Simeoni and East Germany’s Rosemarie Ackerman, the 1976 Olympic silver and gold medalists, respectively.
East Germany’s Ruth Fuchs, the 1976 Olympic champion, won the Women’s Javelin with a throw of 216-0 [66.10]).
Team Scores
Men: 1.United States 119, 2.Europe 112, 3.East Germany 108, 4.USSR 102, 5.Americas 98, 6.Africa 84, 7.Oceania 58
Women: 1.East Germany 105, 2.USSR 97, 3.Europe 96, 4.United States 75, 5.Americas 67, 6.Oceania 47, 7.Africa 29, 8.Asia 25
Medalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_IAAF_World_Cup
Videos
(M100, M400, M200, M4x4, M110h): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOsCB4K8eEA
(M110h-replay, W200, M400h, M800, M1500): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYhnXemYXtY
(WLJ, W4x400, W100h, MHT, W800, W100, MPV): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4UxXwQ2HfI
World Cup History(Through 2002)
http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/wp.htm
1981–With Robert Benn (55.7,1:53.6) and James Robinson (2:50.7) providing excellent pacing, Great Britain’s Steve Ovett won the Mile in 3:48.40 in Koblenz, Germany, to regain the World Record he had lost a week earlier to fellow Brit Seb Coe (3:48.53). 2nd in the race was Craig Masback (3:54.14). Ovett didn’t have long to enjoy his regained status, since Coe would run 3:47.33 just two days later in Brussels.
While the Mile was set up for Ovett’s record attempt, there was also a quality field in the 1500-meters, which Steve Scott won in 3:31.96 to break Jim Ryun’s 14-year old American Record of 3:33.1. Scott had broken another of Ryun’s 14-year old ARs (3:51.0) when he ran 3:49.68 for the mile the previous month in Oslo. (Ovett was originally scheduled to run the 1500, but then asked for the Mile to be added to the meet’s program).
Mile Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI_epq_8Lx4
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/27/sports/mile-run-by-ovett-in-3-48.40.html
1984–Brazil’s Joaquim Cruz, the gold medalist in the 800-meters at the L.A. Olympics, ran 1:41.77 in Cologne, just missing Seb Coe’s World Record of 1:41.73. Kenya’s Sammy Koskei was 2nd in 1:42.28, followed by Johnny Gray, who matched his 2-day old American Record of 1:43.28. (See August 24 for more)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2tHUPdjnnw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaquim_Cruz
1985—Zola Budd ran 14:48.07 for 5000-meters in London to take more than 10 seconds off the previous World Record of 14:58.89 that was set the year before by Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen, who was 2nd to Budd in this race and was also under her previous mark-14:57.43. Kristiansen would regain the record in a big way by running 14:37.33 in1986.
http://www.garycohenrunning.com/Interviews/Budd.aspx
1991—Americans Kenny Harrison (58-4 [17.78]) and Mike Conley (57-9 ¾ [17.62]) finished 1-3 in the Men’s Triple Jump at the World Championships in Tokyo, with the Soviet Union’s Leonid Voloshin (58-3 [17.75]) winning the silver medal.
Finland got a 1-2 finish in the Men’s Javelin from Kimmo Kinnunen (297-11 [90.82]/CR) and Seppo Räty
(289-1 [88.12]). 3rd was the Soviet Union’s Vladimir Sasimovich (285-08 [87.08]). Kinnunen’s father, Jorma, was the silver medalist in the Javelin at the 1968 Olympics.
It was a wild finish in the Women’s 800, with six runners still in contention coming off the final turn. The Soviet Union’s Liliya Nuritdinova (1:57.50) edged Cuba’s Ana Quirós (aka Quirót, 1:57.55) for the win, with Romania’s Ella Kovacs (1:57.58) winning the bronze medal over 18-year old Maria Mutola of Mozambique, who set a World Junior Record of 1:57.63. Those two collided right before the finish, with Kovacs falling to the track. A protest was filed on Mutola’s behalf, but was rejected.
Medalists in the Women’s 3000-Meters were the Soviet Union’s Tatyana Samolenko (8:35.82) and Yelena Romanova (8:36.06), and Kenya’s Susan Sirma (8:39.41).
Kenya got a 1-2 finish in the Men’s 10,000-Meters from Moses Tanui (27:38.74) and Richard Chelimo (27:39.41), with Morocco’s Khalid Skah (27:41.74) winning the bronze medal.
As reported yesterday, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the defending champion, went down with a hamstring injury in the 200-Meters, the 4th and final event of the first day of the Heptathlon.
Medalists/Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_World_Championships_in_Athletics
IAAF Coverage:
Videos: W800 M10,000(full race) W3000 MTJ MJT
1997—There was a hot Mile in Berlin as Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj (3:45.64/#4 performance All-Time) beat Kenya’s Daniel Komen (3:46.38/#4 Performer All-Time) and Burundi’s Venuste Niyongabo (3:46.70/#5 All-Time).(A-T references at the time of the race)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNJvjal6FbY
1999–Michael Johnson finally achieved the one honor that had eluded him during his brilliant career. Already the World Record holder at 200-meters, MJ took down Butch Reynolds’ 11-year old mark in the Men’s 400 (43.29), running 43.18 at the World Championships in Seville, Spain. It was his 4th straight World title in the 400. Finishing well back in 2nd and 3rd were Brazil’s Sanderlei Parrela, who set a South American Record of 44.29, and Mexico’s Alejandro Cárdenas (44.31/NR).
Said Johnson in his post-race press conference, “It’s (World Record) been a long time in coming. This was the perfect setting. I wanted the medal but I also wondered how many more times I would have to lower the World Record”.
Coming back from a long battle with an injury, Australia’s Cathy Freeman (49.67) was a narrow winner of the Women’s 400 over Germany’s Anja Rücker (49.74). Winning the bronze was Jamaica’s Lorrain Fenton (49.92). No Americans made the final for the first time at the Worlds.
Running in hot and humid conditions (a water table was set up on the backstretch), Ethiopia’s Gete Wami (30:24.56) won the Women’s 10,000 over Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe (30:27.13) and Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe (30:32.03), with all 3 setting National Records. Deena Kastor was the top American finisher, placing 11th in 32:11.14.
Radcliffe did her best to run away from the field, shaking everyone with her fast pace except Wami, who burst into the lead with 200-Meters remaining to become Ethiopia’s first female World Champion.
Russia’s Maksim Tarasov won the Men’s Pole Vault with a Championship Record clearance of 19-9 (6.02). Winning silver and bronze were Australia’s Dmitri Markov (19-4 ¼ [5.90], and Israel’s Aleksandr Averbukh (19-1/4 [5.80]). Markov (Belarus) and Averbukh (Russia) were competing for their adopted countries.
Off-The-Track: I had been working with Dwight Stones on TV broadcasts since 1983 and had always lost the bets we would often make on the outcome of a particular event. But it was now my turn to have bragging rights, at least until the next bet, after Michael Johnson set the World Record in the 400. A confident Stones even gave me odds that the record wouldn’t fall, but I had read some encouraging comments from Clyde Hart, Johnson’s coach, and took the bet! Thank you, Michael.
Medalists/Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_World_Championships_in_Athletics
NY Times Coverage:
2003–Defending champion Maria Mutola (Mozambique), who had won the 5th of her 7 World Indoor titles in March, led the Women’s 800 field at the World Championships in Paris/St.Denis through the first 400-meters in a slowish 61.20.
Great Britain’s Kelly Holmes (2:00.18) went in front just before 600-meters (1:32.32), but was run down in the stretch by her training partner as Mutola (1:59.89) remained undefeated for the year. Winning the bronze medal was Russia’s Natalya Khrushchelova (2:00.29). Mutola’s winning time is still the slowest in World Championships history.
Kenya-born Stephen Cherono, running as Saif Saeed Shaheen, the name given to him by his adopted country of Qatar, won a thrilling stretch duel with true Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi (8:04.39–8:05.11) to take the gold medal in the Men’s Steeplechase.
It was a bizarre race, with Shaheen, who had been on World Record pace, being passed by a surging Kemboi with 2-1/2 laps to go. Kemboi slowed the pace dramatically as the two exchanged the lead over the last 2 laps, with the chase pack starting to close in. Shaheen led off the final water jump, but Kemboi edged ahead ever-so-slightly in the homestretch, only to have Shaheen respond quickly to win his 2nd straight World title. 3rd was Spain’s Eliseo Martín (8:09.09). Kemboi would finish 2nd again at the 2005 and 2007 Worlds, but then would win the next 4 World titles.
For the 2nd Worlds in a row, Russia’s Tatyana Lebedeva (49-9 ¾ [15.18]) and Cameroon’s Françoise Mbango (49-4 ½ [15.08]) finished 1-2 in the Women’s Triple Jump. Finishing 3rd was Italy’s Magdelín Martínez (48-10 ¾ [14.90]).
Lithuania’s Virgilijus Alekna (228-7 [60.69]), 2nd at the 2001 Worlds, beat Hungary’s Róbert Fazekas (226-5 [69.01]), the pre-meet favorite, to win the Men’s Discus. Belarus’s Vasili Kaptyuk (218-2 [66.51]) finished 3rd.
Alekna had presented the gold medal he had won at the 2000 Olympics to his first son, Martynas, and would present this WC medal to his second son, Mykolas, on the occasion of his first birthday! Will Mykolas continue the tradition when he becomes a father, now that he has a gold medal in the Discus from the 2022 World Championships in Eugene?
After getting shut out of the medals at the 2001 Worlds, the U.S. got gold in the Men’s 400 from Tyree Washington (44.77). At the time, they thought had two medalists, but Jerome Young (44.50), who actually crossed the finish line in 1st place, subsequently had all of his performances from 1999 forward annulled due to a series of doping violations. Awarded the silver and bronze medals were France’s Marc Raquil (44.79/NR) and Jamaica’s Michael Blackwood (44.80).
36-year old Gail Devers, a 3-time World Champion in the event, finished 3rd in her semi-final of the 100-Meter Hurdles after hitting an early hurdle and failed to advance to the final.
Medalists/Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_World_Championships_in_Athletics
Videos: Steeplechase W800 M400
Dunaway’s Worlds: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/dunaways-worlds-2
(The late Jim Dunaway is a member of the U.S. Hall of Fame)
Mutola-Holmes: www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/2410379/Friendship-pays-as-Mutola-leads-Holmes-to-a-silver.html
Young-Lifetime Ban: http://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/news/story?id=3935921
Washington Gets His Gold: www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/jun/21/tyree-washington-jerome-young-2003-world-400m
2004—It was a sweep for the U.S. in the Men’s 200 at the Athens Olympics, with Shawn Crawford (19.79), Bernard Williams (20.01) and Justin Gatlin (20.03) taking the medals ahead of Namibia’s Frank Frederick (20.14).
Dwight Phillips’ opening effort of 28-2 ¼ (8.59) was good enough to win the gold medal in the Men’s Long Jump over fellow American John Moffitt (27-9 ¼ [8.47]). 3rd was Spain’s Joan Lino Martínez (27-3 ¾ [8.32]). Phillips would win 4 World titles during his career (2003,2005,2009,2011). He was inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 2018.
It was the 22nd win at the Olympics by an American. “We’re following in the footsteps of such great jumpers,” the 26-year-old Phillips said, listing the names of athletes he’s admired, studied and emulated. “Mike Powell, Carl Lewis, Bob Beamon, Ralph Boston. And now you have Dwight Phillips and John Moffitt.”
The Dominican Republic’s Félix Sánchez (47.63) won the first of his two gold medals in the Men’s 400-meter hurdles. He would win his 2nd 8 years later in London. Winning silver and bronze were Jamaica’s Danny McFarlane (48.11) and France’s Naman Keïta (48.26). American James Carter (48.58), the leader through 8 hurdles, faded to 4th in the homestretch.
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics
IAAF Coverage: https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/28th-olympic-games-6913163
Phillips: https://spikes.iaaf.org/post/dwight-phillips-guide-to-long-jump-glory
Phillips: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/dwight-phillips
HOF Acceptance Speech: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&do=videos
…
