This Day in Track & Field, January 22, John Pennel Sets Pole Vault WR (5.12 m/16′-9.5″), written by Walt Murphy

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

This Day in Track & Field–January  22

1966—John Pennel set a World Record of 16-9  ½ (5.12) in the Pole Vault before a crowd of more than 13,000 at the Los Angeles Invitational.

  A 2^nd record was set by Art Walker (53-8  ½ [16.37]), who became the first American to hold the World Record in the Triple Jump since Dan Ahearn set global marks in 1909 & 1910!

Kenya’s Kip Keino endeared himself to the L.A. fans by attempting an ambitious double in his debut on the U.S. indoor circuit.

First up was the Mile, where he was caught coming off the final turn by Jim Grelle (4:00.9-4:01.8). He had better luck when he came back 90 minutes later to win the 2-mile. Showing what would become his signature move late in a race, he tossed his orange baseball cap onto the infield (which he didn’t do in the mile) as he went after Kansas’ John Lawson (8:43.0), taking the lead on the final backstretch and holding on for a narrow win (8:42.6-8:43.0).

(From T&F News)

1971–A sell-out crowd of 13,185 was treated to an epic battle in the Shot Put at the All-American Invitational in San Francisco’s Cow Palace.

Al Feuerbach got the winning throw of 68-11 (21.00+) in the 2^nd round, with Randy Matson finishing 2^nd with a toss of 68-8 (20.93) as both bettered Matson’s previous World Indoor Record of  67-11 (20.70), which was set just a week earlier (Matson shared the record with Neil Steinhauer).

Jim Ryun, competing in his first race since walking off the track during the mile at the 1969 U.S. Outdoor Championships in Miami (19 months), received a standing ovation over the last 2 laps as he unleashed a 56.4 last ¼ to win the mile over a less-than-stellar field in 4:04.4.

After signing countless autographs for kids after the race, the fan in Ryun said, “You know, there was one disappointment tonight. I sure wish I could have seen that shot put record throw. But they made us stand out in the hall” (before his race).

1982–Mary Decker (Slaney), embarking on yet another comeback, won the mile at the Sunkist Inv. in Los Angeles in 4:24.6 to smash Francie Larrieu’s 7-year old World Record of 4:28.5. Larrieu finished a distant 2nd here in 4:36.4.

     Another World Record fell to Stanley Floyd, who won the 50-yard dash in 5.22. Other significant performances: Canada’s Debbie Brill, with 5-month old son Neil watching from the infield,  won the women’s high jump (6-5/1.96m), Carl Lewis won the long jump (27-1  ¾ [8.27m]), Ray Flynn (3:57.1) celebrated his 25^th birthday by edging surprising Frank Assumma (3:57.3) to win the men’s mile (with future USATF CEO Craig Masback finishing 4^th (4:01.7), and Evelyn Ashford won the Women’s 60y in 6.78.

1989–Russia’s Rodion Gataullin became the first man to clear 6-meters (19-8  1/4) indoors in the Pole Vault

(St.Petersburg).   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radion_Gataullin

1994—In a prelude to the official celebration in May of the 40^th Anniversary of Roger Bannister’s historic 3:59.4 mile in 1954, some of the greatest milers in history met in a Legends race in conjunction with the American Airlines Miami Mile.

The starts were staggered, based on each athlete’s current fitness, with Bannister firing the starting pistol. Tying for first were old rivals Kip Keino (54) and Marty Liquori (44), followed by Peter Snell (55), who was given a 2:05 head-start, and Steve Cram (33), the youngest man in the field.  Next were Wilson Waigwa (44), Rod Dixon (43), Frank Shorter (46), and Jim Ryun (46)!

“For me, this race was great,” Liquori said. “We had two guys sprinting to the finish. Basically, Kip and I were sprinting as hard as we could. We weren’t playing around that last 100 yards. I was thinking, however, age goes before beauty and I wanted Kip to get that extra step. (Actually), I was a little embarrassed to be sprinting so hard and not be able to drop somebody 10 years older than me.”

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-01-23-9401230173-story.html

2011–Duke senior Kate Van Buskirk set a  Collegiate Record of 2:41.00 for 1000-meters at Virginia Tech (since broken).

Representing her native Canada, Van Buskirk was a semi-finalist in the 1500-meters at the 2015 World

Championships in Beijing.

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

Born On This Day*

Pierce LePage—Canada 30 (1996) 2023 World Champion—Decathlon…2022-silver medalist, 2025 (DNF-withdrew after 4

            events) due to ongoing back problems)

           5^th at the 2019 World Championships and 2021 Olympics

           Silver medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

           Bronze medalist at the 2019 Pan-American Games

           A herniated disc kept him out of the 2024 Olympics (had surgery in August)

           PB: 8909 (2023/#7 All-Time)

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

           WC Report

           WC Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4W4q-qzT9E

            Olympic Disappointment  Tokyo WC

Franka Dietzsch—Germany 59 (1968)  3-time World Champion-Discus–1999, 2005, 2007

           1998 European Champion

        Other Global Placings

        OG: 1992 (12^th), 1996 (4^th), 2000 (6^th), 2004 (qual. round),

           WC: 1991 (qual. round), 1993 (8^th), 1997 (qul.), 2001 (4^th), 2003 (qual.), 2009 (qual.)

           Silver medalist at the 1986 World Junior/Under-20 Championships

           PB: 228-0 (69.51/1999)

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

           https://worldathletics.org/athletes/germany/franka-dietzsch-14277366

           The Fall and Rise: https://worldathletics.org/news/news/the-fall-and-rise-of-franka-dietzsch

Lisa Bernhagen-Ramos  60 (1966) 1987 NCAA Indoor Champion—High Jump (Stanford); 1988-4^th, 1989-2^nd

               4^th NCAA Outdoors in 1986, =2^nd in 1988

           Set a Collegiate Indoor Record of 6-5  ½ (1.97) in 1987 (since broken, now =#5 All-Time).

           Former U.S. High School Outdoor Record holder (6-2  ¾ [1.90/1983/now =#4 All-Time]; held 

    the Indoor Record for 32 years! (6-3/1.93+/ 1984-2016/now #3 All-time)  (Wood River,ID);

Looking Back (2020)   Stanford Hall of Fame

Greg Duplantis  64 (1962) Made the U.S. top-10 rankings in the Pole Vault six times (3^rd-‘94) PB:19-1/4 (5.80, ‘93)

        5^th at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials—cleared same height as the 3^rd-place finisher, 18-8  ¼ (5.70), but lost out on

               misses.

           Coaches his son Mondo, who re-wrote the High School record books in the Pole Vault and is now the World Record

                 holder and reigning Olympic (2-time) and World (3-time) Champion.

                 https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/greg-duplantis-14236929

                 https://polevaulter.ai/learning/greg-duplantis-from-elite-pole-vaulter-to-renowned-coach-and-lawyer-

                 http://www.digitaljournal.com/sports/meet-greg-duplantis-pole-vault-coach-father-american-athlete/article/503871

Ray Flynn 69 (1957) Fastest Irish miler outdoors—3:49.77 (1982);

           Ran 89 sub-4 minute miles during his career; Anchored the Irish team that set the World Record in the

              4-mile relay: 15:49.08–(Eamonn Coghlan 4:00.2, Marcus O’Sullivan 3:55.3, Frank O’Mara 3:55.6, Ray Flynn

              3:57.0);

           2-time Olympian-1980 (1500/1^st round), 1984 (5000/11^th); Semi-finalist in the 1500 at the 1983 World

               Championships

           All-American at East Tennessee State…was a close 2^nd to UC-Irvine’s Steve Scott in the 1500-meters at the

              1978 NCAA Championships (3:37.58-3:37.68). Next in an all-star final were Wisconsin’s Steve Lacy

               (3:37.78), Villanova’s Don Paige (3:38.86) and Sydney Maree (3:39.08), and Oregon’s Matt Centrowitz

               (3:39.29).  Still lives in Johnson City,TN

           PBs: 1:48.30 (‘80), 2:18.96 (‘81), 3:33.5 (‘82), 3:49.77 (‘82), 3:51.20i (‘83), 4:59.40 (‘82), 7:41.60 (’84),

                13:19.52 (’84)

           Currently one of the world’s leading athlete managers and has been the Director of the Millrose Games

              since it moved to the Armory in 2012

           Hometown Hero:

           http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2015/03/16/Johnson-City-may-be-home-to-world-s-fastest-Irishman.html

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

           http://www.flynnsports.com/

           https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/71531

Lee LaBadie  76 (1950)  1972 NCAA Champion—2-mile relay (Illinois); Mile PB 3:58.8 (1971)

           5^th in the 800 at the 1972 NCAA Indoor Championships

           Former head X-Country and middle distance coach at Akron. Coached Clayton Murphy, the 2016

                Olympic bronze medalist in the 800-meters

           https://gozips.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/coaches/lee-labadie/703

           https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-labadie-7229b043/

           https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/2016/09/17/amateur-success-stories-ua-coach/10720055007/

Deceased

Galina Zybina–Russia 93 (1931-August 10, 2024)  4-time Olympian (Soviet Union) in the Shot Put—won a full set of

                 medals-Gold (1952), Silver (1956), Bronze (1964)…7^th in 1960. Also 4^th in the Javelin in 1952.

           Set 8 World Records between 1952-1956…also had 6 “world bests” that were never ratified.

        When she passed away on August 10, 2024, she had been the oldest living female Olympic gold medalist in track &

             field

           PBs: 57-5 (17.50/1964), 159-6dt (48.62/1955), 180-4jt (54.98/1958)

           World Record Progression

           49-03  ½ (15.02)    Anna Andreyeva (URS) 9 November 1950      Ploiești, Romania

           50-01  ¾ (15.28)    Galina Zybina (URS)  26 July 1952    Helsinki, Finlan

           50-05  ¼ (15.37)    Galina Zybina (URS)  20 September 1952      Frunze, Soviet Union

           50-07  ¼ (15.42)    Galina Zybina (URS)  1 October 1952 Frunze, Soviet Union

           53-01  ¾ (16.20)    Galina Zybina (URS)  9 October 1953 Malmö, Sweden

           53-05      (16.28)   Galina Zybina (URS)  14 September 1954      Kiev, Soviet Union

           53-05      (16.28)   Galina Zybina (URS)  5 September 1955        Leningrad, Soviet Union

           54-08  ¼ (16.67)    Galina Zybina (URS)  15 November 1955       Tbilisi, Soviet Union

           55-0        (16.76)   Galina Zybina (URS)  13 October 1956          Tashkent, Soviet Union

           56-07  ¼ (17.25)    Tamara Press (URS)  26 April 1959   Nalchik, Soviet Union

           https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77336

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

           WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_shot_put_world_record_progression

           Conversion Calculator: http://legacy.usatf.org/statistics/calculators/markConversions/index.asp

Dan Kinsey 68 (1902-June 27,1970)  1924 Olympic gold medalist—110m-Hurdles

           1924 Big-10 Indoor (60y) & Outdoor (120y) hurdles champion (Illinois/no NCAA meet in 1924)

           Also competed in football at Illinois…one of his teammates was the legendary Red Grange.

           He taught and coached at Oberlin College for 31 years. The school hosts a meet bearing his name.

           http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78654

           OG Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxqYvTviA2A

           Illini Legend