This Day in Track & Field, January 15, Paavo Nurmi sets 3 WRs in one race at Madison Square Garden (1925)

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  ([email protected])

This Day in Track & Field–January  15

1925–Paavo Nurmi, “The Flying Finn”, returned to NY’s Madison Square Garden for the 2nd stop on his U.S. tour and came away with three more world records, although they all came within one race.

After letting Ville “Willie” Ritola set the early pace, Nurmi, dubbed the Athlete of the Century by the press, delighted the crowd by lapping most of the field and setting records at 1-3/4 miles (7:55.6), 3000-meters (8:26.8), and 1-7/8 miles (8:29.0). Joie Ray was the previous record holder at all three distances. Shortly after the race, Nurmi hopped on a train for Chicago, where he was scheduled to compete the following night before immediately returning to NY for his 3rd meet in as many days.

1965—Irishman John McDonnell won a slow-paced mile in 4:22.5 at the Senior Metropolitan AAU Championships at NY’s 168^th Street Armory. McDonnell, of course, went on to have a Hall-of-Fame career as coach at the University of Arkansas.

Other notable winners included Fordham’s Sam Perry in the 60y (6.4), and Oscar Moore,Jr in the 3-mile (14:29.0).

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/16/101522396.html?pageNumber=20

1977–It didn’t draw much attention at the time, but Steve Scott, a 20-year old junior at the University of California at Irvine, broke

4-minutes for the first time when he ran 3:59.7 to finish 3rd in the Mile at the Sunkist Invitational. Finishing ahead of Scott were Paul Cummings (3:59.2) and Wilson Waigwa (3:59.7).

Scott went on to become one of the greatest runners in history and ran a total of 136 sub-4 minute miles, the most ever, in a Hall of Fame  career.  He held the American Indoor Record from 1979-2005 and the Outdoor mark from 1982-2007. Scott retired in 2018 as the head coach at Cal-State San Marcos, which won three consecutive NAIA Women’s  X-Country titles from 2009-2011.

Hall of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/steve-scott

Steve Scott-The Miler/Marc Bloom’s Biography

http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Scott-Miler-Americas-Legendary/dp/0028616774

CSSM Bio: http://www.csusmcougars.com/coaches.aspx?rc=222&path=wcross

1978–Long Island University’s Lorna Forde, a 2-time Olympian (1972,1976) for her native Barbados, set a World Indoor Record of 1:10.5 for 500-meters at the Dartmouth Relays. Forde was a 2-time winner of the 440y at the U.S. Indoor Championships and is a member of the Penn Relays Wall of Fame.

Ran on a remarkable 21 winning teams for the Atoms T.C. at Penn from 1975 through 1983

https://pennrelays.com/honors/hall-of-fame/lorna-forde/58

1984–20-year old Sergey Bubka, who had first gained international fame when he upset the field to win the gold medal at the previous year’s World Championships in Helsinki, got his first World Record, indoors or outdoors, when he cleared 19-3/4 (5.81) in Vilnius. The previous mark of 19-1/4 (5.80) was set by Billy Olson in 1983.

1986–Bubka sets another World Record, jumping 19-3 (5.87) in Osaka, Japan

1987–Bubka returned to Osaka to set another World Record–19-6  ½ (5.96). Two other world marks were set–Ben Johnson ran 6.44 in the 60-meters (later annulled), and Oleg Protsenko won the Triple Jump with a leap of 57-11  ¾ (17.67m).

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

2015—Akron’s (and Canada’s) Shawn Barber joined the 6-meter (19-8  ¼) club at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno,NV. He would go on later in the year to win the NCAA Indoor (his 2^nd) and Outdoor titles and he became the World Champion in Beijing.

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

2022—Florida’s Jacory Patterson ran 31.99 for 300-Meters at Clemson to break his own Collegiate Record of 32.38.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbtnUSW24MQ

2022—Senior Will Sumner (Woodstock,GA) ran 1:01.25 for 500-meters at the Virginia Showcase in Virginia Beach to break the U.S. High School Indoor Record of 1:01.68 that was set by Strymar Livingston (Columbus, Bronx, NY) in 2012. He would take down another of Livingston’s H.S. records (1:17:58) when he ran 1:15.58 for 600-meters a week later in Chicago.

The son of former Villanova All-American ½-milers Brad Sumner and Tosha Woodward, Sumner won the 2023 NCAA 800 title as a Georgia freshman before joining the professional ranks. He was injured in 2024, but ran 45.06 for 400-meters in 2025.

https://georgiadogs.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/Will-Sumner/7110

https://trackandfieldnews.com/2-national-records-for-high-schooler-will-sumner/

https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=11088703

https://www.thestridereport.com/post/turning-pro-will-sumner-signs-with-adidas

2023—Emily Sisson finished 2^nd to Ethiopia’s Hiwot Gebrekidan (1:06:28) at the Houston Half-Marathon and came away with a short-lived American Record of 1:06:52. (Keira D’Amato would run 1:06:39 in July). Sisson still holds the U.S. Record in the Marathon (2:18:29/2022).

Born on This Day*

Tsegaye Kebede-Ethiopia 39 (1987) Bronze medalist in the Marathon at the 2008 Olympics

         Also the bronze medalist at the 2009 World Championships…2013 (4^th)

2-time winner of the Fukuoka Marathon—2008, 2009

         Abbott World Marathon Majors (3-time winner)

London–2009 (2^nd), 2010 (1^st), 2011 (5^th), 2012 (3^rd), 2013 (1^st), 2014 (3^rd)

Chicago—2010 (2^nd), 2012 (1^st)

New York—2011 (3^rd), 2013 (2^nd)

Berlin—2014 (9^th)

Tokyo—2015 (8^th), 2017 (9^th)

PBs: 59:35 (2008), 2:04:38 (2014)

Grew up in poverty as one of 13 children

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

https://worldathletics.org/athletes/ethiopia/tsegaye-kebede-14181360

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/115458

https://marathonview.net/marathon-results-of-Tsegaye-Kebede

Dylan Armstrong-Canada  45 (1981)  2008 Olympic bronze medalist—Shot Put;

Didn’t receive his medal until 2015, after the original 3^rd-placer was retroactively disqualified for a doping violation

2-time World Championships medalist (2011-Silver, 2013-Bronze)

All-American at Texas—NCAA: 2001 (Weight Throw-4th, Hammer Throw-5^th)

Was coached by Anatoliy Bondarchuk, the 1972 Olympic Champion in the hammer throw

Delayed Olympic Medal: http://tinyurl.com/ArmstrongOlyMedal

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/117036

2013 Article: https://spikes.worldathletics.org/post/a-shot-at-success

Super Coach: http://tinyurl.com/hwo5tce

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

Mark Carroll-Ireland 54 (1972)   1995 NCAA Indoor Champion—5000m (Providence/2^nd Outdoors)

2000 European Indoor Champion—3000 meters; 2-time Olympian—5000m (1^st round-2000,2004)

Finalist in the 5000 at the 1995 (12^th) and 1999 (14^th) World Championships.

6^th at the 2002 NY City Marathon

Irish Record Holder—3000m (7:30.36), Former Record holder—5000m (13:03.93), 10,000m (27:46.82)

Other PBs: 3:34.91 (2000), 3:50.62 (2000), 3:54.50 (2001), 2:10:54 (2002)

Named the High Performance Coach of the Boston A.A. (B.A.A.) in December, 2019. Had previously coached at

Auburn and Drake

Coached by Jim Harvey throughout most of his career

https://www.baa.org/mark-carroll-announced-baa-high-performance-coach

https://www.baa.org/baa-coaches

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/87045

         2012 article: https://auburntigers.com/news/2012/7/20/Auburn_Olympic_Profile_Mark_Carroll

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Carroll_(athlete)

Duncan Macdonald  77 (1949)  1976 Olympian—5000m(1^st round); Ran 13:19.40 in 1976 to break Steve

Prefontaine’s American Record for 5000-meters; Competed for Stanford;

3-time winner of the Honolulu Marathon (1973,1976,1980); 13^th at the 1983 Boston Marathon (2:12:50).

Hawaii native had been the coach at the  Punahou School in Honolulu (and an anesthesiologist).

PBs: 3:40.9 (1972), 3:58.4 (1972), 7:51.2 (1976), 8:19.85/2m (1976), 13:19.40 (1976), 28:38.01 (1982), 2:12:50 (1983)

http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78722

https://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?video_id=187005

https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=50740

Barbara Friedrich 77 (1949)  1968 U.S. Olympian—Javelin (9^th)

1967 Pan-American Games Champion

1968 U.S. Champion

1971 AIAW Champion(Newrk State/Now Kean)

Set two High School and American Records in 1967 while at Manasquan(NJ) H.S.: 192-11 1/5(58.81), 198-8

(60.56)

Inducted into the National High School T&F Hall of Fame in 2019

http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77834

HOF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnrLnf7JlxQ

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

Looking Back

https://twitter.com/njsiaa/status/1241712159232532481

Deceased

Dean Smith  91 (1932-February 24, 2023) 1952 Olympic gold medalist—4×100 (5^th in the 100); went on to have a successful career as a

Hollywood stuntman. Appeared in 10 John Wayne movies.

All-American at Texas:NCAA-100y (1952-4^th, 1954-4^th, 1955-5^th)

His memoir, “Cowboy Stuntman: From Olympic Gold to the Silver Screen”, was published in April, 2013.

Much More At: https://onceuponatimeinthevest.blogspot.com/2019/12/v9-n-52-dean-smith-american-gold.html

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79055

         Smith & Gold Medalist Lindy Remigino Talk About the 1952 100.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_lPEPV8zcU

         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Smith_(athlete)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/us/cowboy-stuntman-dean-smith-writes-a-memoir.html?_r=1&

http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Stuntman-Olympic-Silver-Screen/dp/0896727890

http://deansmithcelebrityrodeo.com/index.html

Tom Burke 54 (1875-Feb.14,1929) First Olympic gold medalist in the 100 and 400 (1896); 3-time U.S. Champion

440y (1895-  1897); 1896 & 1897 IC4A Champion (Boston College)—440y,

1899 IC4A Champion—880y (Harvard grad student);

         Hall of Fame Bio:

https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/tom-burke

         Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Burke_(athlete)

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78175

Lou Jones 74 (1932-Feb.3, 2006)  1952 Olympic gold medalist—4×400;

1955 Pan-American Games Champion-400m—set a World Record of 45.4 (Mexico City)…lowered the record to 45.2 at the 1956

U.S. Olympic Trials, but only finished 5^th in the Olympic final in Melbourne in November.

         Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Jones_(athlete)

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78628

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_400_metres_world_record_progression

         Obituary:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/sports/othersports/08jones.1.html?pagewanted=print

Janusz Kusociński-Poland 33 (1907-June 21, 1940)  1932 Olympic gold medalist—10,000-Meters

Set two World Records in 1932 (3000-Meters, 4-Miles); PB: 30:11.42 (1932)

From Olympedia: During World War II, Kusociński volunteered for the Polish Army and was wounded twice.

Released because of his injuries, he served in the Polish resistance during German occupation, and he

was arrested by the Gestapo on 26 March 1940 and was imprisoned in the Mokotów prison. He was

executed by the Germans three months later, in Palmiry, near Warsaw. In his honor, the best known

Polish athletics meet is called the Kusociński Memorial.

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74775