This Day in Track & Field History, March 26, Ben Eastman sets WRs for 400 meters/440 yards (1932), by Walt Murphy

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

This Day in Track & Field–March 26

1932–Stanford’s Ben Eastman set World Records for 400-meters and 440-yards when he ran 46.4 in Palo Alto. Bud Spencer, who held the previous 400 record (47.0), wrote in his biography on Eastman’s coach, Dink Templeton-”High Above the Olympians”–”Templeton was surely the only man in track history who coached a runner to a world record from a hospital bed while getting a high enema.

Templeton, who had been stricken with fulminating arthritis five months before, was about to supply last minute instructions–by a special telephone hookup”. Templeton–“Ben, the executioner is here and these may be my last words, so listen carefully. You’re ready to knock a second off the easiest record in the book. Get this in your noodle, I want you to tear-ass right from the gun, going just as fast as you can all the way without straining. Run easily but run like hell, and when you hit the turn keep running. That’s where you been losing time. Keep running even if you have to crawl home on your hands and knees, but don’t let up”. (From the IAAF’s World Records Progression Book).

(Both men are members of the National Hall of Fame)

https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/ben-eastman

https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/robert-lyman-dink-templeton

1955–Just ten days after finishing 2nd to Arnie Sowell in the 800-meters at the Pan-American Games in Mexico City,  former Cal Bear Lon Spurrier ran 1:47.5 on his home-track in Berkeley to set a world record for 880-yards.

With coach Brutus Hamilton shouting encouragement from trackside, Spurrier ran by himself the entire race as he took down the previous mark of 1:48.6, which was set by Denmark’s Gunnar Nielsen in 1954. (It should be noted that the World Record for 800-meters at the time was 1:46.6).

Spurrier Link: http://tinyurl.com/ygxbosb

Hamilton was a charter member of the National Hall of Fame

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

1960–A week after Bill Nieder had taken the Shot Put World Record away from him, Dallas Long moved back on top with his mark of 64-6 ½ (19.67) in L.A., only to have Nieder regain the record a week later with a monster throw of 65-7 (19.99) at the Texas Relays in Austin.

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

https://vault.si.com/vault/1960/04/25/the-shotput-explosion

1998–Australia’s Emma George twice raised the World Indoor Record in the Pole Vault, first clearing 14-9 (4.55m) in Adelaide, then 14-11 (4.55). Just 5 days earlier (3-21), George raised her outdoor World Record to 15-3/4 (4.59) in Brisbane. Her efforts in Adelaide capped an amazing indoor season in the event, with no less than 11 World Records being set by 5 different women.

              (pre-1998 record was Stacy Dragila’s 14-5  ¼ (4.40m)

              14-05  1/2   4.41    Daniela Bartova  CZE            2-04-98*

              14-06          4.42    Vala Flosadottir   ISL            2-06-98

              14-06  1/4   4.43          Bartova                         2-14-98

              14-06  3/4   4.44          Flosadottir                     2-14-98

              14-07  1/4   4.45    Anzhela Balakhonova  UKR    3-01-98

              14-07  1/2   4.46           Bartova                        3-06-98

              14-08          4.47    Emma George  AUS              3-07-98

              14-08  1/4   4.48    Stacy Dragila  USA               3-08-98

              14-08  1/4   4.48            Bartova                       3-08-98

              14-09          4.50            George                        3-26-98

              14-11          4.55            George                        3-26-98

              *-mark was never ratified because the bar was supposed to be set at the pre-determined

                 height of 4.40 (14-5  1/4).

2021—Two weeks after winning the NCAA Indoor title with a Collegiate Record of 22-9 (6.93), Texas’ Tara Davis won the Long Jump at the Texas Relays with a leap of 23-5  ¼ (7.14) to break the 36-year old Outdoor Collegiate Record of      22-11  ¼ (6.99) that was set by UCLA’s Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1985! She went on to win the NCAA Outdoor title and finish 6^th at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She has since won the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships and the gold medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships and Paris Olympics.

World Cross Country

1988—Led by John Ngugi (34:32), who won the 3^rd of his 5 World XC titles, Kenya took 8 of the top 9 places to easily win the Men’s team title over Ethiopia (23-103/6 men scored) at the IAAF World X-Country Championships in Auckland,New Zealand.

Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen won the Women’s race, while Kenya’s Wilfred Kirochi won the Junior Men’s title.

Top U.S. finishers were Pat Porter (28^th), Lynn Jennings (4^th, 9 seconds out of the medals), and Todd Williams, who was 14^th in the Men’s Junior race. Finishing 9^th in the Junior race was future great Noureddine Morceli of Algeria.

Other Notable/U.S. Finishers

Senior Men(12km): 2.Paul Kipkoech (KEN), 6.Moses Tanui (KEN), 16.Domingos Castro (POR), 21.Steve Moneghetti (AUS), 27.Steve Binns (GBR), 31.Harry Green (USA), 45.Derrick Lakeman (USA), 46.George Nicholas (USA), 52.Francesco Panetta (ITA),  62.Jeff Cannada (USA), 67.Martti Vainio (FIN), 73.Arthur Waddle (USA), 88.Mark Stickley (USA), 102.Craig Virgin (USA), 117.Rod Dixon (NZL), 127.John Treacy (IRL), 140.David O’Keefe (USA), DNF-Rob de Castella (AUS); Team:1.Kenya 23, 2.Ethiopia 103;

Senior Women(5.962km): 3.Annette Sergent (FRA) 19:29, 4.Lynn Jennings (19:38), 20.Olga Bondarenko (URS), 24.Leslie Seymour (USA), 29.Nan Doak-Davis (USA), 31.Sabrina Dornhoefer (USA), 36.Annie Schweitzer (USA), 42.Judy Chamberlin (USA), 70.Tina Krebs (DEN), 91.Leah Pells (CAN); Team: 1.Soviet Union 51, 2.Great Britain 61, 3.France 72, 4.USA 88;

Junior Men(8.031km):15. Fermín Cacho (ESP), 31.John Myers (USA), 34.Jason Bunston (CAN), 37.Jeff Pajak (USA), 48.Andrew Hudson (USA), 58.Daniel Maas (USA); Team: 1.Kenya 12, 2.Ethiopia 33

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships

Videos

Men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIv1MMHfnn0

Junior Highlights/Full Senior Races: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97qvDi1S0xk

1994—Kenya won 3 of the 4 team titles at the IAAF World X-Country Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with Portugal taking 1^st in the Senior Women’s race. Kenya also produced all 4 individual winners!

Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie, the winner of the 10,000-meters the year before at the World Outdoor Championships, seemed poised to add the World Cross title to his resume as he entered the homestretch, but he couldn’t match the finishing kick of Kenya’s William Sigei, who won for the 2^nd year in a row. Gebrselassie was also passed by another Kenyan, Simon Chemoiywo. 4^th was Kenya’s Paul Tergat, who would win the next 5 World Cross titles, and 5^th was Morocco’s Khalid Skah, the 1990 and 1991 Champion.

Notable/U.S. Finishers

Senior Men(12.06km): 1.William Sigei (Kenya) 34:29, 2.Simon Chemoiywo (KEN) 34:30, 3.Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) 34:32, 4.Paul Tergat (KEN) 34:36, 5.Khalid Skah (MAR) 34:59, 11.Salah Hissou (MAR), 21. Martín Fiz (ESP), 24. Domingos Castro (POR), 26.Brahim Boutayeb (MAR), 50.Francesco Panetta (ITA), 52.Stefano Baldini (ITA), 99.Tim Gargiulo (USA), 102.Keith Dowling (USA), 105.Craig Dickson (USA), 117.Jim Westphal (USA), 119.Jon Hume (USA), 122.Mark Coogan (USA), 146.Brad Barquist (USA), 209.John Scherer (USA), 213.Jeff Campbell (USA); Team:1.Kenya 34, 2.Morocco 83, 3.Ethiopia 133

Senior Women(6.22km): 1.Hellen Chepngeno (Kenya) 20:45, 2.Catherine McKiernan (IRL), 5.Albertina Dias (POR), 6.Elana Meyer (RSA), 7.Zola Budd-Pieterse (RSA), 10.Fernanda Ribeiro (POR), 27.Gwyn Hardesty-Coogan (USA), 28.Berhane Adere (ETH), 34.Gete Wami (ETH), 39.Lucy Nusrala (USA), 44.Carmen Troncoso (USA), 55.Liz Wilson (USA), 56.Leah Pells (CAN), 62.Olga Bondarenko (RUS), 69.Laura Cattivera (USA), 73.Carla Sacramento (POR); DNF-Kathy Butler (CAN); Team:1.Portugal 55, 2.Ethiopia 65, 3.Kenya 75;

Junior Men(8.14km): 1.Philip Mosima (Kenya) 24:15, 2.Daniel Komen (KEN) 24:17, 8. Reyes Estévez (ESP), 50.Greg Jimmerson (USA), 73.Bryan Schultz (USA), 75.Jared Pullins (USA), 101.Michael Cox (USA), 112.Matt Kerr (CAN), 126.Patrick Joyce (USA), 131.Steven Fein (USA); Team:1.Kenya 18, 2.Ethiopia 27

Junior Women(4.3km): 1.Sally Barsosio (Kenya) 14:04, 2.Rose Cheruiyot (KEN) 14:05…4.Gabriela Szabo (RUM), 53.Maribel Sanchez (USA), 90.Erin St.John (USA), 92.Whitney Spannuth (USA), 117.Candida McCarthy (USA); Team:1.Kenya 11, 2.Ethiopia 46

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships

Video(1:26): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97qvDi1S0xk

World Cross-Past Winners (from 1973 to present)

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

Born On This Day*

Johannes Vetter—Germany 32 (1993) 2017 World Champion-Javelin (2015-7^th, 2019-bronze)

               2-time Olympic finalist—2016 (4^th), 2021 (9^th)

               A shoulder injury kept hom out of the 2022 World Championships

               Threw 320-9 (97.76) in 2020, the 2^nd longest throw in history, trailing only Jan Železný’s World Record of

                    323-1 (98.48/1996)

               2024 SB: 240-0 (73.16)

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

               https://twitter.com/jojo_javelin?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

               https://olympics.com/en/news/johannes-vetter-world-athletics-championships-2022-javelin-throw-withdraw

               97.76: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S3b8UIg9as

               Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8sHa9qLkvo

Barbara Jones-Slater 88 (1937)  2-time Olympic gold medalist-4×100 (1952,1960)

               Only 15 in 1952, she’s still the youngest Olympic gold medalist in T&F in history (male or female)

               1955 Pan-American Games Champion—100, 4×100; 1959 Pan-Am champ in the 4×100

               Competed for the Tennessee State Tigerbelles under coach Ed Temple

               Didn’t get serious about running until she was paid a visit by Jesse Owens at the request of her coach.

               “He told me all about the Olympics and what happened to him in 1936,” she said. “He also gave me a medallion

                   that he wanted me to keep. With it he said to always remember ‘you have to dare to always be different in

                   order to inspire.’”  Those words prompted Slater to enter the Olympic trials in Philadelphia. There, she finished

                   4^th in the 100-meters, earning her a spot on the 1952 U.S. Olympic team as a member of the 4×100-meter

                   Relay.”

               www.ajc.com/sports/olympian-recounts-her-life-the-youngest-gold-medalist/wyQOaNEq8nwm8xWCW80dXK/

               https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77881

               http://tshf.net/halloffame/jones-slater-barbara/