by Elliott Denman
Editor’s note: Elliott Denman is our longest enduring writer at American Athletics (1990-1994), American Track & Field (1994-2017), RunningNetwork (1995-present) and RunBlogRun (2006-present). An Olympic race walker from Sydney 1956, Elliott Denman is a keen observer of the sport who can provide the historical context (every Olympics, 1956-2016 and World Champs 1983-2022). This is a piece that I missed that Elliott sent during the Tokyo World Championships! It is pretty amazing story, and my apologies to Elliott Denman on this one!
FRANK HARRISON’S ANALYSIS:
THE GREATEST TEST OF MANKIND’S
ABILITY TO DETERMINE
THE FINEST ATHLETE ON EARTH
BY ELLIOTT DENMAN
Ten very differing challenges. Twenty-four multi-talented challengers. Representing 15 different nations. Big, strong guys Tall, tough guys. Performing over two straght days. Before a packed stadium.
All competing in the greatest test of mankind’s ability to determine the finest athlete on earth. Plenty of mathematics. Numbers into the multi-thousands. Additions every minute. A few unfortunate subtractions, Guts and glory on non-stop display.
That’s the World Championships decathlon. And my good friend and teammate Mr. Frank Harrison knows the event’s intricacies as well as any of us.
He’d been a brilliant athlete at New Jersey’s Madison Central High School, then at the Universty of Pennsylvania, then for Shore Athletic Club. He’d competed in two Olympic Deca-Trials. He’d won three IC4A silver medals. He’d won the USA-Canada-Japan tri-meet.
He’s a major New York corporate executive these days, But like so many of our sport’s most dedicated souls, he was glued to the TV last week, specially so the final two days of the 20th Worlds at Tokyo’s National Stadium, most certainly on the decathlon.
World-class coaches had guided his way. Roland (Rollie) Kok at Madison Central, Irv “Moon” Mondschein and Fred Samara – each a USA Coaching Hall of Famer, USA Olympian and National Champion – at Penn. They were his “incredible pedigree.”
Just getting to a deca-starting line is a major achievement.
“When I woke up on the day the competition was to begin, I already had massive adrenaline flowing, “ Harrison knew. “ I felt extremely nervous and anxious. So much so, that eating breakfast was a massive challenge.
“The more that I could eat at breakfast produced my best performances. You need the energy over a long physically, mentally draining day to come. I ingested as much as I could: pancakes or waffles, scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice.
“The amount of training that goes into a decathlon is astounding. It is quite common for top athletes to train between 6-8 hours per day, always working on the events, drills, drills and more drills, running, lifting, film review, flexibility work and on and on the list goes. The point being that . when a competition came along, massive preparation has already been put in. It is quite natural for these athletes to be highly wound up and ready to explode!”
That said, on to Day One at the Worlds: “The meet was largely holding to the Form Chart,” he saw. ” It looked like Kyle Garland (USA), Sander Skotheim (Norway) and Leo Neugebauer (Germany) would separate themselves from the field with Niklas Kaul (Germany) as a dark horse for a medal.
“To me, Kyle Garland looks to be a reincarnation of the late, great Milt Campbell “ (The Plainfield, New Jerseyan who’d won the 1952 Helsinki Olympic deca-silver medal as a high schooler, then the 1956 Melbourne Olympic gold, by a record margin.)
The ailing Damian Warner of Canada withdrew before it even started, and it was on with the show – 100, long jump, shot put, high jump. 400.
Garland was off to the races: a solid total of 4707 first-day points, good leads over Skotheim (4543), Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme/AOD (4487) and Neugebauer (4455.)
With four 900-plus event scores, “Garland was simply amazing,” said Harrison.
“Day One is a highly, highly physical day. There is a lot of pounding and all- out sprinting. Each of the those five events involves being explosive. And it’s almost a cruel joke to have the day end with a 400. It’s a war against the build up of lactic acid , knowing that you still have five more events to go the next day. It’s, well, flat out cruel! But that’s the deal.
“You cannot totally relax – you must rest, yet you must simultaneously maintain your edge, your focus. It’s a mental thing. And it is not easy.”
But Day Two? “It’s a whole new ballgame; no wonder there is always carnage in major decathlons. “
Disaster loomed early on Day Two. Paris Olympic champion Skotheim crashed a hurdle and was out.
And then Garland disastered his javelin.
“It’s the decathlete’s lament,” Harrison knew. “Garland likely has a bad case of it right now. He committed a mortal sin by fouling twice. It was beaten into our heads: never come within a foot of the toe board.
“The points sacrificed by staying away from that line are inconsequential, the penalty for fouling on a big throw is huge. Never, ever should happen! ’’
Sure enough, Neugebauer. known as a”monster discus thrower,” launched his rally with a solid whirl. followed by a strong vault and jav, and surged in front.
Now it now boiled down to the concluding event, the love-it-or-hate-it 1500 meters. Most hated it, but not AOD. He spurted to a 4:17.91, brilliant but not brilliant enough.
He thus settled for silver, just 20 points back of old rival Leo, who ran a 4:31.89.
Garland slogged around for the bronze in 4:45:45. The top three scores: 8804, 8784, 8703.
These three are old rivals – and NCAA titlists – from their undergraduate days, Neugebauer at Texas, AOD at Michigan and Arkansas, Garland at Georgia.
The AOD/Garland rivalry started years before that, in the Pennsylvania high school ranks, Garland at Germantown Academy, AOD at North Allegheny High.
Thirteen time zones away from Frank Harrison’s TV set, there actually was a Harrison competing in Tokyo. Stanford grad Harrison Williams snared seventh place for USA, one spot back of teammate Heath Baldwin, out of Michigan and Michigan State.
“One of the highlights of every major decathlon competition occurs when the meet is over” Harrison tells you. “. It’s common to see the athletes sprawled all over the track completely exhausted with nothing left to give.
“Then, slowly, as they pull themselves together. there are hugs and handshakes with each other, regardless of final positions in the meet. Then, even better, is the sight of all the decathletes jogging a victory lap together.
“That’s the tradition and it’s a good one. They feel like they just went to war together and somehow had survived. There is an unambiguous feeling of respect .
“ A ‘band of brothers’ is formed with each knowing just how hard the decathlon is and the sacrifices made to be able to compete in such a challenging competition.
“It’s a beautiful feeling. Long may it continue!
“ All these athletes are incredible; they put on a great show! “
