by RBR AdminWalt Murphy is one of the finest track statisticians that I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, an excellent daily service that provides true geek stories about our sport. You can check out the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (email: [email protected] ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.
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This Day in Track & Field–September 2
1901–John Flanagan set a pre-IAAF World Record of 171-9 (52.35) in the Hammer Throw at NY’s Celtic Park. Flanagan was a 3-time Olympic champion in the event (1900-1904-1908)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Flanagan_(hammer_thrower)
http://www.wingedfist.org/John_Flanagan_Hercules.html
1960–The graceful Wilma Rudolph won the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Olympics, taking the Women’s 100 in 11.0w. She equaled the world record of 11.3 in her semi-final race. Winning silver and bronze were Great Britain’s Dorothy Hyman (11.3w) and Italy’s Giuseppina Leone (11.3w).
Ralph Boston set an Olympic Record of 26-7 ¾ (8.12) in the 3rd round of the Men’s Long Jump but almost had the gold medal “stolen” by U.S. teammate Bo Roberson, who jumped 26-7 ¼ (8.11) on his final attempt. Soviet Igor Ter-Ovanesyan won the bronze medal with a leap of 26-4 ½ (8.04). Boston would eventually wind up with a complete set of Olympic medals, taking the silver 1964 and the bronze in 1968.
Unheralded Peter Snell, wearing New Zealand’s all-black uniform, won the Men’s 800 in 1:46.3. 5th with 200 meters to go, Snell hugged the rail around the final turn, then took advantage of an opening as Belgium’s Roger Moens, the World Record holder in the event, veered out to lane 3 in the final 50 meters. Jamaica’s George Kerr (1:47.1), the NCAA Champion (Illinois), finished 3rd.
Snell’s teammate, Murray Halberg (13:43.4), won the 5000-Meters over East Germany’s Hans Grodotzki (13:44.6), and 3rd was Poland’s Kazimierz Zimny (13:44.8). Halberg, who had built a lead of 20-meters with a spurt almost 4000-meters into the race, lost most of that cushion but was able to hold on for the win.
The U.S. got a sweep of the medals in the 400-hurdles from Glenn Davis (49.3), the defending champion Cliff Cushman (49.6), and Dick Howard (49.7). They were presented their medals by Lord David Burghley, the 1928 Olympic Champion in the event! Cushman, a Major in the U.S. Air Force, was killed in action during the Vietnam War in 1966.
The other Press sister, Tamara (Irina won the 80-hurdles the day before), set an Olympic Record of 56-10 (17.32) to win the Women’s Shot Put. East Germany’s Johanna Lüttge (54-6 [16.61]) won the silver medal, and Earlene Brown won the bronze with a clutch final throw of 53-10 1/2 (16.42). That had been the only time that an American woman had won an Olympic medal in the Shot Put until 2016 when Michelle Carter won gold in Rio!
The 20k walk was won by the Soviet Union’s Vladimir Golubnichiy (1:34:07.2), with silver and bronze going to Australia’s Noel Freeman (1:34:16.4) and Great Britain’s Stan Vickers (1:34:56.4).
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1960_Summer_Olympics
Olympia Reports: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/15/sports/ATH
Cushman: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=62052064
Videos
Rudolph:
http://www.olympic.org/videos/rome-1960-wilma-rudolph-stormed-to-gold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWECaWXmcDU
Snell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWk_agnXLzI
Halberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aW8B6BOLjs
1964—Norway’s Terje Pedersen broke two barriers in the Javelin with one throw in Oslo, reaching out to a distance of 300-11 (91.72) to become the first man in history to throw past 90 meters and 300 feet! Describing his historic throw, Pedersen, who held the previous World Record of 285-10 (87.12), said, “My approach run went well—and then I felt myself connecting. And how! It was a phenomenal feeling. It was just like throwing a stone. The javelin bore slightly to the left, not straight ahead as I’m used to, but I think it was an advantage because your right arm describes an arc from right to left when you throw, and it’s, therefore, natural for the javelin to go somewhat to the left if the release is perfect.” (From the Progression of World Athletics Records-2020 Edition:
https://worldathletics.org/news/news/progression-of-world-athletics-records-on-sal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_javelin_throw_world_record_progression
1972–Dave Wottle, 6th with 200-meters to go, unleashed his famous “kick” and caught a sprawling Yevgeniy Arzhanov (Soviet Union/Ukraine) in the final stride to win the Men’s 800-meters (1:45.9 for both) at the Munich Olympics. A close 3rd was Kenya’s Mike Boit (1:46.1).
While it looks like he was “kicking” in the last 200 meters, Wottle ran pretty even splits of 26.4, 26.9, 26.4, and 26.2 while others were slowing down and returning to him!
He received much attention when he forgot to remove his cap while playing the National Anthem during the medal ceremony! Even his mother got on his case, asking, ”Why didn’t you take your hat off” before congratulating him on his win!
While Wottle will forever be connected to the 800, he always considered himself a miler first! (He won three NCAA titles in the 1500-‘72/mile-‘73/indoors & outdoors while at Bowling Green).
(No matter how often I watch the race video, I still have a hard time believing Wottle will catch Arzhanov!)
Running out of lane 1, Uganda’s John Akii-Bua won the 400-meter hurdles in the World Record time of 47.82. Finishing 2nd was American Ralph Mann (48.51-American Record), who had set a WR of 48.8 for the 440y-hurdles at the NCAA Championships in June, and 3rd was Great Britain’s David Hemery (48.52), the defending Olympic champion and the previous WR holder (48.1). Hemery was also the 1968 IC4A and NCAA Champion while competing for Boston University. A close 4th was American Jim Seymour (48.64).
East Germany’s Renate Stecher won the Women’s 100-Meters in 11.07, breaking Wyomia Tyus’s World Record by .01s. A distant 2nd was Australia’s Raelene Boyle (11.23), and 3rd was 17-year-old Cuban Silvia Chivás (11.24).
East Germany’s Wolfgang Nordwig (18-1/2 [5.50m]) won the Pole Vault over American Bob Seagren (17-8 ½ [5.40m]), the defending Olympic champion. American Jan Johnson won the bronze medal (17-6 ½ [5.35m]).
With 4-time gold medalist Al Oerter’s reign in the Men’s Discus at an end, it was time for a new Olympic Champion to be crowned. That honor fell to Czech Ludvík Daněk, who threw 211-3 (64.40) in the final round to move from 5th to 1st and snatch the gold medal from American Jay Silvester (208-4 [63.50]), who at least came away with his 1st Olympic medal. Finishing 3rd was Sweden’s Ricky Bruch (208-0 [63.40]). Daněk now had a complete set of Olympic medals, winning silver in 1964 and bronze in 1968.
Using the new “Cata-Pole,” Seagren had set a World Record of18-5 ½ (5.63m) in the Pole Vault at the U.S. Trials in early July. The East Germans protested against the new pole “because it contained carbon fibers.” When it was pointed out that the pole did not contain carbon fibers and that IAAF rules did not specify any material prohibitions on poles, the IAAF banned it anyway because the equipment had not been available to all competitors for the past 12 months. It was also noted to the IAAF that their rules had no such requirement. Then, on August 27, the ban on the poles was lifted, and it was announced they would be allowed. However, three days later, the IAAF again reversed itself and reinstated the ban on the poles, confiscating them from the pole vaulters’ rooms in the Olympic Village”.
Once the competition was over, a smiling Seagren returned his replacement pole to the man who had given it to him, Adrian Paulen, an IAAF official who reportedly believed the American was graciously presenting him with a gift.
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics
Olympia Reports: https://www.olympedia.org/editions/18/sports/ATH
Sports Illustrated Vault:
https://vault.si.com/vault/1972/09/11/saved-by-a-very-fast-wottle
Videos:
Wottle(ABC Coverage): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LHid-nC45k
Akii-Bua: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9llJeNmhNc
The John Akii-Bua Story-An African Tragedy ( a 90-minute documentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY2s6ihFrvk
Akii-Bua’s Life in Idi Amin’s Uganda:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/06/athletics.olympicsathletics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Akii-Bua
Wottle Looks Back
(Video w/Billy Cvecko): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpdk8txdb8c
Pole Vault Controversy:
Steve Smith, who didn’t make the final, was also affected by the ban on the new poles (he had previously used a “Sky-Pole”).
http://www.sanclementetimes.com/not-your-typical-olympic-story/
1977–The inaugural World Cup (Sep.2-4), held in Düsseldorf, Germany, was the setting for many great matchups and performances. It also stirred thoughts of another global event–as a prophetic Garry Hill wrote in Track and Field News, “More than ever, we need a true World Championships. That was the message brought home by the World Cup”.
Perhaps stung by his first loss in a year to West Germany’s Harald Schmid the week before in Berlin, 1976 Olympic Champion Edwin Moses reaffirmed his status as the #1 man in his event by winning the 400-hurdles (9-2) in 47.58, the 2nd-fastest time in history at the time (behind his world record of 47.45). Finishing far up the track were East Germany’s Volker Beck (48.83) and Schmid (48.85), both of whom set National Records. Moses’s victory would have added significance over the years since this began his remarkable 109-meet winning streak.
Kenya’s boycott of the 1976 Olympics kept Mike Boit from challenging Cuba’s Alberto Juantorena for the gold medal in the 800-meter. The two finally met in Zürich a week earlier, with Juantorena getting the upper hand. The anticipation was high for their rematch here (9-2), and the two warriors didn’t disappoint, waging a terrific homestretch battle to the wire, with World Record holder Juantorena winning by a tenth of a second (1:44.0-1:44.1). The expected matchup drew so much attention it was shown live on ABC!
Juantorena, aka “El Caballo” (The Horse), came back two days later to win the 400 (45.36). The 400 was first run on Saturday (9-3), with East Germany’s Volker Beck winning 45.79. Juantorena, claiming he didn’t hear the gun, protested, and his appeal was upheld. Beck finished 2nd to Juantorena (45.36) in the rerun and ran 45.50, a National Record.
Steve Williams, injured at the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials, won the Men’s 100 (9-2) out of lane 1 over East Germany’s Eugen Ray (10.13-10.15), who was on his way to a #1 World Ranking.
Showing stick-passing skills often missing from U.S. teams, a lineup of Bill Collins, Steve Riddick, Cliff Wiley, and Williams set a World Record of 38.03 in the Men’s 4×100 relay (9-3).
Great Britain’s Steve Ovett broke open a close race with a blistering final 200 to win the Men’s 1500-meter
(9-3) with a British record of 3:34.45. John Walker, the World Record holder in the mile at the time, dropped out with 150 meters to go after leading at the bell. Finishing 7th was a young Steve Scott, who had won the first of six U.S. titles in the 1500 in June.
With the field playing into his hands with a slow pace, Ethiopia’s Miruts Yifter unleashed his potent kick (25.1 last 200, 54.3 last 400) to win the 10,000 (9-2/28:32.3). Finishing 3rd was Holland’s Jos Hermens, currently one of the leading agents in the sport. Yifter (13:13.8-NR) returned on 9-4 to win the 5000 over Marty Liquori, who set an American Record of 13:15.1.
Reversing the order of their 1-2 finish in the Men’s Discus (9-2) at the previous year’s Olympics, East Germany’s Wolfgang Schmidt came from behind to beat American Mac Wilkins (220-3 [67.14]) to 218-8 [66.64]).
Francie Larrieu fought out of a box to finish a satisfying 2nd in the Women’s 1500 (4:12.7-4:13.0) behind the Soviet Union’s Tatyana Kazankina, who won the 800 and 1500 at the 1976 Olympics.
Jan Merrill led the Women’s 3000 for most of the race before Norway’s Grete Waitz took over and won in 8:43.5. Merril was edged for 2nd by the Soviet Union’s Lyudmila Bragina, the world record holder. Still, she got some consolation by breaking Francie Larrieu’s American Record (8:55.0) with her time of 8:46.6.
Poland’s Irena Szewińska, who won the 200 on the first day of competition, completed a double by winning the Women’s 400 over East Germany’s Marita Koch (49.52-49.76).
The U.S. men were poised to win this first-ever global team competition as the 4×400 relay got underway, but anchorman Maxie Parks pulled up on the backstretch with a hamstring injury and could not finish the race. East Germany was the team champion by scoring 127-120 over the U.S. Europe edged East Germany for the women’s title(107-102). (Thanks to Track and Field News for much of the above information)
Medalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_IAAF_World_Cup
SI Feature(Juantorena): https://vault.si.com/vault/1977/08/29/el-caballo-is-off-and-running
Merrell Noden Looks Back at the 800(2002):
https://vault.si.com/vault/2002/12/23/runners-mike-boit-and-alberto-juantorena-september-12-1977
Videos: Men’s 800, Men’s 100, Men’s 1500
Other Event Videos: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
1985–Charlie Simpkins, a red-shirt junior at Baptist College (now known as Charleston Southern), set a Collegiate Record of 58-7 ¼ (17.86) in the Triple Jump at the World University Games in Kobe, Japan. He moved (at the time) to #3 on the All-Time world list behind World Record holder Willie Banks (58-11 ½ [17.97]) and Brazil’s Joao Oliveira (58-8 ½ [17.89]). (Now #6 All-Time U.S.). He became a 2-time U.S. Olympian, finishing 5th in 1988 and winning the silver medal in 1992.
(For subscribers): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-19-sp-9593-story.html
1987—This was the off-day at the World Championships in Rome. NBC, in need of additional programming for the “Highlights” show that would air that night, decided to host a lunch at an outdoor restaurant in the hills of nearby Tivoli and invite some athletes, some of whom had already competed at the Worlds. This was the brainchild of producer John Gonzalez, who always managed to arrange a unique dining experience for the crew whenever NBC was covering a T&F event in a foreign land. When Gonzalez proposed the idea to Dick Enberg, who was serving as the host for each of the daily shows, the veteran announcer loved it, and the plan was set in motion.
With the cameras rolling, the first guests to arrive were the NBC announcers—Enberg, who apparently had previously been to the restaurant, Charlie Jones, Dwight Stones, Frank Shorter, and Missy Kane. They were soon joined by New Zealand’s John Walker, the former World Record holder in the Mile.
After they were seated, Enberg then started introducing the all-star cast of invited athletes:
Edwin Moses—had won his 2nd World title in the 400-hurdles
Jackie Joyner-Kersee—winner of the Heptathlon. She was joined by her husband/coach, Bobby and brother
Al, the 1984 Olympic Champion in the Triple Jump.
John Brenner—winner of the bronze medal in the Shot Put
Evelyn Ashford—injured but part of NBC’s broadcast team
Grete Waitz—on crutches due to a stress fracture, 1983 World Champion in the Marathon
My assignment had been to pick up Carl Lewis at his hotel. Still, he was busy meeting Maradona, the legendary soccer player (at least that’s what my memory tells me!), and would arrive later, along with Joe Douglas, his manager and the coach of the Santa Monica Track Club. Carl’s mom, Evelyn, and sister, Carol, joined me for the ride to Tivoli. (Carl had finished 2nd to Ben Johnson in the 100 but was declared the winner when Johnson was later disqualified).
When asked recently about what it took to attract such an illustrious group, Gonzalez replied, “I really wasn’t sure until the last minute who would show up, but I needn’t have worried. When I mentioned one by one to all those stars that a free meal was involved, no one declined. The bus ride up was something I’ll never forget, as everywhere around me was another superstar. The bus ride down was even more so as Carl joined us, and by that time, everyone had imbibed in more than a little Chianti”!
I had been racking my brain trying to remember all of the participants in this memorable excursion when, thanks to Google and YouTube, I found the video of the entire show! See how the rest of the lunch played out by going to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTrsZYiioA0 (includes some event videos)
2007—The winner of the 1500 earlier in the week, Bernard Lagat, won the Men’s 5000 on the final day of competition at the 11th World Championships in Osaka, Japan, becoming the first man to complete that double at the Worlds. A slow pace, which played into his hands, led to Lagat’s winning time of 13:45.87, the slowest in World Championships history.
He waited until the final straightaway before sprinting into the lead, then held off the late surge of Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge (13:46.00), the 2003 Champion. Uganda’s Moses Kipsoro (13:46.75) just edged American Matt Tegenkamp (13:46.78) to win the bronze medal. Finishing 6th was future great Mo Farah (13:47.54) of Great Britain, and 11th was the 3rd American in the race, Adam Goucher (13:53.17).
Finland’s Tero Pitkämäki (296-4[90.33]) won the Men’s Javelin over Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen (290-8 [88.66]) and American Breaux Greer (282-10 [86.21]), who was disappointed with his bronze medal performance. “Usually, I’ll catch one or two out of six, but I didn’t catch anything tonight. I think maybe I was too aggressive. Man, I was just going for a World Record today. That was my bad”.
Pitkämäki’s throwing style, which left him face down on the runway, reminded veteran observers of the style used by Al Cantello, the former World Record holder in the event.
Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba, the 2003 Champion, won the Women’s Marathon in 2:30:37. She would win her 2nd straight Olympic silver medal the following year in Beijing. Winning silver and bronze were China’s Zhou Chunxiu (2:30:45) and Japan’s Reiko Tosa(2:30:55).
Croatia’s Blanca Vlašić (6-8 ¾ [2.05]) won the Women’s High Jump over Russia’s Anna Chicherova and Italy’s Antonietta DiMartino, who tied for 2nd with their clearance of 6-8 (2.03). Clearing 6-6 ¾ (2.00) in this deep field were Russia’s Yelena Slesarenko and Yekaterina Savchenko. 32-year-old Amy Acuff, competing in her 7th World Championships, finished 12th (6-4 ¼ [1.94]). She would also finish 12th at her 8th (and final) Worlds in Berlin in 2009.
Canada’s Gary Reed (1:47.10) had the lead coming off the final turn in the Men’s 800 but was passed just before the finish line by Kenya’s Alfred Kirwa Yego, whose winning time of 1:47.09 is still the slowest, by far, in World Championships history. The next slowest winning time is David Rudisha’s 1:45.84 in 2015. Winning the bronze was Russia’s Yuriy Borzakovskiy (1:47.39), who won silver at the 2003 and 2005 Worlds. He would win a 2nd bronze in 2011.
Medalists in the Women’s 1500-Meters were Bahrain’s Maryam Jamal (3:58.75), Ukraine’s Iryna Lishchynska (4:00.69), and Bulgaria’s Daniela Yordanova (4:00.82). Russia’s Yelena Soboleva (3:58.99) originally finished a close 2nd to Jamal but was retroactively stripped of her silver medal for a doping violation.
Shericka Williams (50.5) led Jamaica on the opening leg of the Women’s 4×400, with DeeDee Trotter (51.3) bringing the U.S. in 4th. Once Allyson Felix got the baton, the race was effectively over, her 48-flat split giving the U.S. a comfortable lead they would never relinquish, winning in 3:18.55 (now #9 All-Time U.S.). Finishing up the U.S. win were Mary Wineberg (50.2) and Sanya Richards (49.1). Finishing 2nd and 3rd were Jamaica (3:19.73) and Great Britain (3:20.04), with both setting National Records.
The U.S. completed a sweep of the 4 relays by winning the Men’s 4×400 in 2:55.56, the 2nd-fastest time in history (at the time—still #4). It was a one-team race from the beginning, with LaShawn Merritt (44.4), Angelo Taylor (43.8), Darold Williamson (44.3), and his former Baylor teammate, Jeremy Wariner (43.1) each having the fastest split on their respective legs. Silver and bronze went to the Bahamas (2:59.18) and Poland (3:00.05).
Medalists/Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_World_Championships_in_Athletics
https://worldathletics.org/news/news/osaka-2007-womens-high-jump-beating-back-th
Videos: WMAR M5000 W1500 M800 W4x400 M4x400 WHJ
