by RBR Admin
Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service ([email protected])
This Day in Track & Field–October 19
1964—Future Hall-of-Famer Edith McGuire, who had earlier finished 2nd to teammate Wyomia Tyus in the 100, won the Women’s 200-meters at the Tokyo Olympics, running 23.0 (23.05) to set Olympic and U.S. Records. 2nd was Poland’s Irena Kirszenstein -Szewińska (23.1/23.13), who would win the gold medal four years later in Mexico City. Szewińska is a member of the IAAF Hall of Fame. Winning the bronze was Australia’s Marilyn Black (23.1/23.18).
Another HOF’er-to-be, Mike Larrabee (45.1/45.15), running in his first Olympics at the age of 31, came from 5th with 100-meters to go to win the Men’s 400 over Trinidad & Tobago’s (and Yale’s) Wendell Mottley (45.2/45.24) and Poland’s Andrzej Badeński (45.6/45.64). 5th in the race was Ulis Williams (46.0/46.01), the 2-time NCAA Champion from Arizona State. Mottley had won his 2nd IC4A title earlier in the year.
East Germany’s Karin Balzer won the 80-meter hurdles in a photo-finish over Poland’s Teresa Wieczorek and Australia’s Pam Kilborn, with all three being timed in 10.5 (auto times-10.54, 10.55, 10.56).
The Soviet Union’s (and Russia’s) Tamara Press set an Olympic Record of 187-10 (57.27) while winning the gold medal in the Women’s Discus over East Germany’s Ingrid Lotz (187-8 [57.21]), who had the lead through 4 rounds, and Romania’s Lia Manoliu (186-11 [56.97]). Press, who was in 4th place before getting her winning throw in the 5th round, would also win the Shot Put the following day.
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics
Olympedia Reports: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/16/sports/ATH
HOF Bios:
McGuire (1979): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/edith-mcguire
Larrabee (2003): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/mike-larrabee
HOF Video(Larrabee/400): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp37qrwvPl4
Szewińska HOF: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/hall-of-fame-profile-irena-szewinska-poland
1967–The Soviet Union’s (and Ukraine’s) Igor Ter-Ovanesyan equaled Ralph Boston’s 2-year old World Record 0f
27-4 ¾ (8.35) at a pre-Olympic meet in Mexico CIty.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump_wor ld_record_progression
1968–It was a good day for the U.S. at the Mexico City Olympics, with Bill Toomey (Decathlon) and Madeline Manning (Women’s 800) winning gold medals.
Aided by the altitude of Mexico City, Toomey had a great first day (10-18), running 10.4 in the 100, long-jumping 25-10 (7.87), and finishing off with a clocking of 45.6 in the 400 in a heavy rain. His final score of 8193 gave him the gold over West Germans Hans Joachim-Walde (8111) and World Record holder Kurt Bendlin (8064). All three medalists had been coached by Germany’s Friedel Schirmer, who was 8th in the decathlon at the 1952 Olympics.
Toomey almost took himself out of the competition after missing twice at his opening height of 11-9 (3.58) in the Pole Vault, his least favorite event. The decathletes had been told to leave their poles at the warmup track, where they would then be transported to the Olympic stadium. Toomey’s pole was somehow left behind, forcing him to return to the warmup track to retrieve it on his own. By the time he got back to the stadium, the warmup period was over, leading to those early misses. Said Toomey, “I told myself, ‘You have a master’s from Stanford, a BA from Colorado. That’s smart enough to figure out whatever you did the first two times isn’t working, so I did everything backward.” It worked as he cleared 11-9 on his final attempt!
Manning (Mims) set Olympic and American Records with her winning time of 2:00.9 in the 800. Winning silver and bronze were Romania’s Ileana Silai (2:02.5) and the Netherlands’ Maria Gommers (2:02.6). 5th was American Doris Brown-Heritage (2:03.9).
Manning-Mims has served as an athletes’ chaplain at many Olympics (and recently with the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock) and has been known to offer stirring renditions of the National Anthem at many events.
A Jamaica foursome of Errol Stewart, Michael Fray, Clifton Forbes, and Lennox Miller equaled the World Record of 38.6 (38.65) in its heat of the Men’s 4×100. The same quartet improved the Record to 38.3 (38.39) in its semi-final.
The U.S. (Barbara Ferrell, Margaret Bailes, Mildrette Netter, Wyomia Tyus) set a World Record of 43.4 in the 1st heat of the Women’s 4×100. The Record was tied in the next heat by Holland (Wilhelmina Van den Berg, Mieke Sterk, Truus Hennipman, Corrie Bakker).
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics
Olympedia Reports: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/17/sports/ATH
Anthem Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51QWZijk6Dk
Toomey (2012): https://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?video_id=72207
Hall of Fame Bios
Toomey https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/bill-toomey
Manning: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/madeline-manning-mims
Born On This Day
Kimberly García—Peru 32 (1993) 2022 World Champion—20k & 35k Walks
Silver medalist in the 35k Walk at the 2023 World Championships
2023 Pan-American Games Champion-20k Walk
Other Global Placings:
OG (20k): 2016 (14th), 2021 (DNF), 2024 (16th)
WC (20k): 2013 (31st), 2015 (DNF), 2017 (7th), 2023 (4th), 2025 (5th)/35k (10th)
PBs: 1:26:22 (2025), 2:37:44 (2023)
From Wikipedia: Her family has always been linked to race walking, so she started training when she was
5 years old(!), following in the footsteps of her cousin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_Garc%C3%ADa
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/peru/kimberly-garcia-leon-14293276
Emma Coburn 35 (1990) 2017 World Champion—Steeplechase (Courtney Frerichs gave the U.S. a shocking 1-2 finish!)
2011 WC-9th, 2015 WC-5th; 2016 Olympic bronze medalist—(2012-8th)
1st American woman to win an Olympic medal in the Steeplechase
Completed her set of global medals by winning silver at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
8th at the 2022 World Championships; hampered by a hamstring injury, she was eliminated in the 1st round at the
2023 World Championships; 2024 season ended early after suffering a broken ankle in Shanghai in April
Winner at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, but was disqualified in the Tokyo final for stepping inside the track after
falling on the last lap (had fallen out of contention at that point). Was hard on herself after the race: ”… for me to
come here, to be physically really prepared, and to suffer like I did, is not why my 20 closest friends and family have
been supporting me for the last five years. It’s not what I’m capable of. I know I need to do better.”
2-time NCAA Champion—Steeplechase (Colorado/2011,2013)
2013 NCAA Indoor Champion—Mile
10-time U.S. Champion (2011, 2012, 2014-2019, 2021, 2022)
Lowered her own American Record in the 2017 WC final to 9:02.58 (#18 All-Time World). AR broken in 2018
by Courtney Frerichs (9:00.85);
London WC Video: https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/08/11/emma-coburn-steeplechase-world-championship-video/
Rio Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzxg7J_qcsw
Meeting Al Michaels: https://twitter.com/emmajcoburn/status/765652606458920960?lang=en
Rio Press Conference: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uiBQVHXesSw
USATF Bio: http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Emma-Coburn.aspx
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/126782
Ankle: https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/emma-coburn-injury-olympics-steeplechase
T&F News Interview(2014)
https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/coburniv.pdf
WIki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Coburn
All-Time List: http://www.alltime-athletics.com/w3000hok.htm
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/emmajcoburn
Wedding(2017):
Breaux Greer 49 (1976) Bronze medalist—2007 World Championships (Javelin/2001-4th)
3-time U.S. Olympian—12th in 2000 and 2004, didn’t make the final in 2008
After leading all qualifiers at the Athens Olympics in 2004 with a throw of 286-3 (87.25), a mark that
would have won the gold medal, he was hampered by a sore knee in the final and could only
manage a best of 243-11 (74.36).
Set the current American Record of 299-6 (91.29) in Indianapolis in 2007
Won a record 8 consecutive U.S. titles from 2000-2007
All-American at Louisiana Monroe-NCAA: (1997-2nd, 1998-5th, 1999-4th)
Married to actress Katy Mixon
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/89130
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaux_Greer
T&F News Interview(2004):
https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Breaux_Greer.pdf
Quotable:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2007-06-21-1471151748_x.htm
AR Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZMhYsQijKk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTER9ep-s_Q
New Dad: https://people.com/parents/katy-mixon-breaux-greer-welcome-daughter-elektra-saint/
Charlie Simpkins 62 (1963) 1992 Olympic silver medalist—Triple Jump (1988-5th)
Set a World Indoor Record of 57-5 (17.50/#5 All-Time U.S.) in Los Angeles in 1986;
Set a post-NCAA Collegiate Record of 58-7 ¼ (17.86 at the 1985 World University Games
1986 U.S. Champion; PB:58-7 ¼ (17.86/1985) #6-All-Time U.S.
All-American at Baptist College (NCAA: 1983-5th, 1984-3rd)
All-Time U.S. List: https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/
Converter: https://www.usatf.org/statistics/calculators/markConversions/index.html
Deceased
Silvio Cator-Haiti 51 (1900-July 21, 1952) 1928 Olympic silver medalist in the Long Jump
Became the first long-jumper to break the 26-foot barrier, jumping 26-1/4 (7.93) in Colombes, France in 1928.
He remains the only athlete from Haiti to win an Olympic medal in T&F and still holds the National Record in the Long
Jump. Was also the captain of Haiti’s national soccer team.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Cator
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/70976
