This Day in Track & Field

Submitted by ATFeditor on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 14:08.

Date:

07/21/2008 - 14:07

From Walt Murphy's News and Results Service / Updated regularly.

This Day in Track & Field: July 18-19

1959 Given the heat wave that's gripping much of the Northeast, it seems quite appropriate to remember this day in track and field. The setting was the 2nd U.S. vs USSR dual meet, held at Franklin Field in Philadelphia (home of the Penn Relays). The top mark of the first day was the 63-2 1/2 'world record' by Parry O'Brien in the shot put (for some unknown reason, the mark was never submitted to the IAAF), but the most memorable event was the men's 10,000-meters. The temperature was in the mid-80s, and the humidity was close to 60%--great conditions for sprinters, but not for distance runners. The race progressed without incident through the first 4-1/2 miles, with American Bob Soth splitting the Soviet duo of leader Aleksey Desyatchikov and Hubert Pyarnakivi and Max Truex, the 2nd American, trailing behind.

It was at this point that Soth began to show early signs of distress. He was able to maintain reasonable form through 5-miles, but then started that scary high-stepping gait of someone who is having serious problems with the heat. Moving backwards at times, Soth continued in this painful-to-watch manner for another three laps before collapsing on the track, his head narrowly missing the inside railing. While officials attended to Soth, the race continued, with Desyatchikov, handling the heat the best of all, going on to what seemed to be an easy win (30:29.9). But, wait! As Desyatchikov approached the finish, the gun was fired, signaling another lap to go! With about a mile to go, the lap-counter flashed '4 to go' for Desyatchikov and Soth, who was just about to begin his 'death march', and then switched to five for Truex, who had been lapped. The official, who apparently got caught up in Soth's plight, never returned the lap cards to the correct number, resulting in the confusion at the end. While Desyatchikov took his time completing his extra lap, Truex, knowing he was truly on his final go-round, put on a big finish to overtake Pyarnakivi to take 2nd. However, mindful of what was going on, 1952 Olympic steeplechase champion Horace Ashenfelter, working as an inspector, advised Truex to take another lap. Truex did so, then collapsed and joined Soth on a trip to the local hospital for treatment (neither suffered lasting after-effects). Finally, Pyranakivi, who also stopped at the right time, was awarded 2nd place over Truex, since officials assumed that he wouldn't have run an extra lap if he didn't think he had to. U.S. officials acknowledged their mistake the following day, but they let stand the original results.

There were many reasons for fans to travel to Philadelphia for this meet. There was the attraction of the American-Soviet rivalry at the height of the Cold War, plus a chance to see stars like Parry O'Brien, Ray Norton, Al Cantello, Hayes Jones, Tamara Press, Vasily Kuznetsov. Dyrol Burleson, Greg Bell, and a young Wilma Rudolph, who was just a year away from her 1960 Olympic glory in Rome. And not many people can say they saw future long-jump great Igor Ter-Ovanesyan compete in a decathlon (he finished 4th-6853).

But what got my father, my brother Pete, and me (and a handful of other relatives) to make the drive from Brooklyn was another chance to see the family hero--my cousin, Tom Murphy. This wasn't an easy decision to make, since another cousin in our family was getting married on the 19th, but she (Pat) had given us her blessing. In fact, she watched the 800-meters (which Tom won) on TV in her wedding gown before heading off to the church!

While the victory ceremony for the 800 was going on, Tom was under the stands going through his traditional post-race ritual of 'dry-heaving' and was then informed that he was needed to run a leg on the 4x400 relay, which was less than an hour away. By race-time, a torrential downpour had saturated the cinder track, but the U.S., with a lineup of Dave Mills (47.4), Murphy(47.2), Jack Yerman(46.2), and Eddie Southern(46.2), still won easily in 3:07.0.

The Murphy clan then jumped into our cars and raced back to the wedding reception in New York and arrived just in time for dessert--another race well run!

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This Day in Track & Field: July 16-20

1986 The inaugural World Junior Championships were held in Athens, Greece(July 16-20), and I was fortunate to be able to make that trip. I received an excited call one day from old friend and veteran track writer Jim Dunaway, who said that if I acted quickly, I might get a free trip to Athens! It seems that the Greek National Tourist Organization(GNTO), like many others in Europe, had been stung by the dramatic drop in American tourism in 1986, caused by the fear of terrorist activity.

The GNTO, hoping to generate positive publicity surrounding the World Juniors, reached out to a handful of U.S. journalists and offered them the opportunity to cover the meet as their guests. Dunaway (who had offered my name to the GNTO) and historian Stan Saplin were among those already on board and there was one spot still available. I placed a call to the GNTO office in New York and was quite honest with them. I explained that my newsletter, Eastern Track, was far from being a mainstream publication, and was I really the type of journalist they were looking for? The representative replied that they�d be thrilled to have me, and boy, was I thrilled to be had!

Our small and giddy group, reveling in this gift from the track and field gods, flew from New York on Olympic Airways, headed for a first-time visit to the birthplace of the modern Olympics. With athletes from over 140 countries in attendance, and despite the political climate of the day, the meet went off without incident. No boycotts, no protests, just good old-fashioned competition among the youth of the world, just as the Olympics once were.

The schedule of the meet was set up so that most of the finals were held in the evening, which freed up the rest of the day for sightseeing or a dip in the rooftop pool at the Holiday Inn. You could always find the British journalists around the pool, bemoaning the fact that the impending Commonwealth Games were being torn apart by the �bloody politicians�.

One tour organized by our hosts took us to the Acropolis and Parthenon, as well as the stadium that was the site of the 1896 Olympics. But the sightseeing highlight of the trip involved a day-trip to Delphi, where I visited a stadium built in the 5th Century, B.C. It was the site of the Pythian Games,which were held to honor the Greek god Apollo. (See links below)

The meet itself was almost an afterthought, but it proved to be a worthy addition to the international calendar

Among the winners were future greats Colin Jackson, who won the 110-hurdles over British teammate Jon Ridgeon, and Cuba's Javier Sotomayor, who beat future American Record holder Hollis Conway to win the high jump. Kenya's Peter Chumba delighted the crowd by winning the 5k and 10k while running barefoot. As part of his 'warmdown' after the 5k, he did calisthenics on the infield, then did windsprints on the straightaways during his victory lap.

Texas A&M teammates Derrick Florence and Stanley Kerr gave the U.S. its only individual wins as each took turns beating the other in the 100 and 200, respectively.

Other notables on the American team included 17-year old Suzy Favor (9th in the1500), George Kersh (8th-800), Carlette Guidry (4th-200, 7th-lj), Maicel Malone (3rd-100), Curt Clausen(28th-10kw), and Shola Lynch. Lynch, the U.S. Junior Champion in the 800, was wearing an elastic wrap to protect a tender hamstring. It came loose on the first lap of her heat and she ran the rest of the race with it flapping around her ankle. A flustered Lynch could only manage a 2:14.52 in 6th place.

Members of the U.S. coaching and administrative staff included Ed Temple, the legendary coach from Tennessee State, Ron Bazil, Marshall Goss, Bob Fraley, Sue Humphrey, Louise Tricard, George Dales, Rick McGuire, and John Chaplin.

The U.S. won 3 of the 4 relays, but a seemingly unbeatable men�s lineup of Florence, Kerr, William Reed, and Mike Marsh couldn�t overcome two shaky passes and a strong team from Great Britain in the men�s 4x100 and was ultimately disqualified for an out-of-zone final exchange.

Guidry and Malone teamed with Denise Liles and Caryl Smith to win the women�s 4x100 (43.78). A lineup of Gisele Harris(53.2), Kandice Pritchett(53.2), Tasha Downing(52.2), and Janeene Vickers(51.90) set an American Junior Record of 3:30.45 to win the women�s 4x400.

The highlight of the meet, at least from an American perspective, came in the final event of the Championships--the men�s 4x400 relay.

Cuba had beaten the U.S. at the Pan-American Juniors, but the Americans had a 'secret weapon' in Athens. William Reed, who had just completed a sensational sophomore year at Central H.S. in Philadelphia(3 Nat�l Indoor records, 45.10 split at the Penn Relays), was a disappointing 6th in the 400 at the U.S. Junior Championships, but had earned a spot on the relay with a win in Romania a week earlier. (Clois Carter ran in Reed's place in the qualifying round).

Clifton Campbell(46.0), Chip Rish(45.5), and Percy Waddle(45.9) gave Reed a 20-meter lead over Cuba�s feared anchor, Roberto Hernandez, who had run 45.05 from the blocks earlier in the year. Hernandez (44.7) cut the lead in half through a quick first 200, but Reed had plenty left and his great 44.5 split gave the U.S. the win. The time of 3:01.90 established a World Junior Record that would last until the 2004 World Juniors, when a U.S. team that included current stars LaShawn Merritt and Kerron Clement ran 3:01.09.

The journey ended with a a party hosted by the IAAF for an intimate group of about 2,500 and it was the perfect way to end a perfect trip.

RELATED LINK : Pythian Games- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythian_Games;

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This Day in Track & Field: July 16

1894 10,000 spectators braved a wet and chilly day at the Queen's Grounds at Kensington in London to watch Yale and Oxford face off in the first international collegiate meet.

1932 Jack Keller tied the world record of 14.4 in the 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Stanford. It was the first world record with an official wind reading (-0.2).

1985 Track and field fans often moan about the lack of great head-to-head matchups in the sport. But directors of the meet in Nice, France (sparing no expense), put together a great field for the menâ€™s 1500-meters that resulted in one of the greatest races in history. At the top of the entry list were Great Britain's Steve Cram, who won gold in the 1500 at the 1983 World Championships and silver at the 1984 Olympics, and Morocco's multi-talented Said Aouita, the1984 Olympic Champion at 5,000-meters. The pace-setters did an excellent job, taking the field through splits of 54.4 (Cram led the pack at 55.5), 1:53.7(Cram-1:53.8), and 2:36.5 with a lap to go. Cram was right behind at the bell, followed by Spainâ€™s Jose Luis Gonzalez, Aouita, and Steve Scott. Knowing that he was close to Steve Ovett's world record pace, Cram took off and quickly opened a 6-meter lead on the chase pack. Aouita, who would later complain that he had trouble getting past Gonzalez on the 3rd lap, was also flying down the backstretch, but still trailed by some 4-meters as they came off the final turn. Aouita closed the gap with every stride, but his desparate lean at the finish fell just short of catching Cram. The times were reflective of this great foot-race. Both men broke Ovett's world record(3:30.77 and both became the first men to break 3:30 (3:29.67-3:29.71). Gonzalez was just over the old record with his 3rd-place time of 3:30.92), while 4th-placer Scott improved his American Record to 3:31.76. (From T&F News). Great photo of the finish: T&F News Cover(September)- http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/archive/past_issues/1985cov...

1988 The late Florence Griffith Joyner had already established herself as an athlete to remember, soley on the basis of her fashionable, often one-legged, uniforms. But she took a step up to legendary status by running wild at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianpolis. In the first round of the 100, she ran a wind-aided 10.60, the fastest time in history. The quarter-finals were some 2-1/2 hours later and Flo-Jo won the first one in an unbelievable 10.49 to smash Eveyln Ashford's World Record of 10.76. Even more unbelievable to many statisticians was the wind-reading--0.0!!! This, despite the fact that the men's triple jump, held concurrently on a paralell runway, had many wind-readings above the 2.0mps limit. Even though the mark is still recognized as the official world record, many â€œexpertsâ€ choose to place the mark in the wind-aided category. Even if the 10.49 was actually windy, Flo-Jo would still have the world record, since she ran 10.61 in the Trials final the next day(7-17), beating Ashford by a full .2s(10.81).

Jackie Joyner Kersee, Flo-Jo's sister-in-law (she married Al Joyner in 1987) and former teammate at UCLA, finished off a great 2-days in the heptathlon (7-15/16) by breaking her own world record(7158) with her score of 7,215 points, which is still the #2-total in history. (She raised the WR to 7291 at the Seoul Olympics).

In the men's 100, Carl Lewis rode a strong tailwind (5.2) to win in 9.78, the fastest time in history at the time. The men's triple jump produced great marks and high drama. All of the jumps were wind-aided, but they were still impressive as Willie Banks approached 60-feet with his winning mark of 59-8 1/2 (he also jumped 59-3). The battle for the other two Olympic berths was fierce, with Charlie Simpkins (who moved from 7th to 2nd with his final jump of 58-10) and Robert Cannon (57-10 1/4) earning tickets to Seoul over Mike Conley(57-9 3/4), 1984 Olympic champ Al Joyner(57-8 1/4), Kenny Harrison(57-7 1/2), and Ray Kimble(57-6 1/4). The drama came on Conley's final jump. Known for his clutch performances, Conley appeared to have jumped long enough to make the team, but officials ruled that his baggy shorts had touched the sand a few inches back, his official 57-7 leaving him a few inches shy. Conley appealed to U.S. officials but to no avail. When Conley was inducted into the T&F Hall of Fame in 2004, he good-naturedly donated those shorts as a memento of his career.

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This Day in Track & Field: June 16

1909 Jim Thorpe makes his pro baseball pitching debut for the Rocky Mount Railroaders of the Class D Eastern Carolina League with 4-2 win. It was later learend that Thorpe earned $15-$25 per week during his 2-year stint with the team, leading Olympic officials to strip him of his amateur standing and the gold medals he won in the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Games in Sweden. (The medals were eventually returned). http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/07/09/jim.thorpe/

1979 Senior Michael Carter (Jefferson-Dallas,TX) already owned the National H.S. Record in the shot put, having thrown 77-0(23.47m) earlier in the season (almost five feet farther than the 2nd-best prep in history), but no one was prepared for what he did at the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento. With a win in the discus already under his belt (201-2/61.32m?), Carter opened with a solid 75-1(22.88m?), followed by a ³modest² 67-7 1/2(20.61m). He improved to 75-4 1/4(22.96m?) on his 3rd toss, fouled on his 4th, and approached his own record with a 5th round put of 76-4 1/4.(23.27) Stepping into the ring for his final effort with the 12-pound implement, Carter unleashed his monster throw, reaching out to an incredible, ³Beamonesque², 81-3 1/2(24.77m?), a mark that may last for many generations, if not forever. Carter also won the 16-pound event with a toss of 62-11(19.17m?), and raised the National Record in that event to an equally ³untouchable² 67-9(20.65) in post-season competition. Carter won four indoor and three outdoor NCAA titles while at SMU, won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympics, and was an All-Pro nose tackle on a San Francisco 49er¹s football team that won three Super Bowls. His daughter Michelle won the shot put at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships .
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMVgbAgDSzg&feature=related
Overshadowed by Carter¹s exploits were a pair of matchups between two future sprint stars. Calvin Smith (Sumner-Clinton,MS) beat Stanley Floyd (Dougherty-Albany,GA) in the 100-yard dash (9.71-9.81) and the two finished in a dead-heat in the 220y(21.65). Smith won two World Championship titles in the 200 and set a World Record in the 100-meters, while Floyd won two NCAA titles in the 100 and was the #1 ranked sprinter in the world during the Olympic boycott year of 1980.

1985 Willie Banks set a World Record of 58-11(17.97m) in the second round on his way to winning the triple jump at the U.S. Championships in Indianapolis. It was one of the greatest competitions in history, as Banks was followed by Arkansas¹ Mike Conley, who set a Collegiate Record of 58-1 1/4(17.71m), Charles Simpkins (57-5 3/4/17.52m), and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner(57-3 1/2/17.46m). Banks became the first American to offcially hold the world record in the event and the first American to have the best jump ever since James Connolly jumped 49-1/4(14.94m) in 1896. Conley, who won both horizontal jumps at the NCAA Championships, had earlier won the long jump with a wind-aided mark of 28-0(8.53m).
Banks interrupted his post-record celebration to shout encouragement to his then-girlfriend Louise Romo, who was on her way to a 2nd-place finish in the women¹s 800-meters. The winner of that race was Oregon¹s Claudette Groenendaal, who set a Collegiate Record of 1:59.48. Another Collegiate Record fell to Wissconsin¹s Cathy Branta, who won the women¹s 3000-meters with a time of 8:49.64. (From Track & Field News )

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This Day in Track & Field: June 14

1958 It was 50 years ago that Villanova's Ron Delany, the 1956 Olympic 1500-meter champion, closed out his brilliant collegiate career by winning the mile and 880y at the NCAA Championships in Berkeley, CA. Up first was the mile, with Don Bowden, the American Record holder, setting a fast pace in an attempt to blunt Delany's feared kick. Delany, mindful that he still had the 1/2-mile coming up, was content to stay near the rear of the chase pack. Bowden couldn't maintain his quick tempo, allowing Delany to gradually move up and the Irishman went on to win his 3rd title in a row(1500 in 1956). Bowden faded to 4th, while Oregons Jim Grelle, a future American Record holder and the 1959 NCAA champion, finished 2nd to Delany for the 2nd year in a row. Delany was at his exciting best in the 880y, coming from more than a second back with a 1/2-lap to go to easily pass Manhattans Tom Murphy to finish off his memorable double win. Delanys winning times of 4:03.5 and 1:48.6 made it the fastest 1-day double in history.

Delany wasn't the only 1956 Olympic star in action. Ohio State's Glenn Davis, who won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles in Melbourne, won the 440y out of lane 8 in 45.7 to break his own World Record by .1s. Kansas senior Al Oerter, who won the first of his four Olympic gold medals in Melbourne, won the discus for the 2nd year in a row, but had to share the title with USCs Rink Babka, with both throwing 186-2 (no tie-breaker in effect at the time). Babka and Oerter went on to become lifelong friends.

1952 Great Britain's Jim Peters set a World Record of 2:20:42.2 to win the West London AAA marathon title.

1991The U.S. Championships returned to Downing Stadium on NYs Randalls Island after a long hiatus and local fans were treated to a World Record of 9.90 by Leroy Burrell in the mens 100-meters. Finishing 2nd was Burrells training partner, Carl Lewis(9.93), the previous record holder at 9.92

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This Day in Track & Field: May 22

1976 It was a significant year, not only for America's Bicentennial, but also for the IC4A(Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America), which was celebrating its 100th anniversary at Philadelphia's Franklin Field, the home of the Penn Relays. The highlight of the meet was the 800-meters, with Northeastern's Mark Lech, the current head coach at Maine, taking the field through the first 400-meters in a quick 51.7. Bucknell's Tom McLean used his patented kick to take over the lead on the final turn and went on to win with a personal best and world-leading time of 1:45.3. He was followed closely by Villanova sophomore Mark Belger(1:46.0), and Seton Hall's Orlando Greene(1:46.2), with Catholic's Mark Robinson(1:47.0), Adelphi's Bill Dabney(1:47.1), and Boston College's Bill Martin(1:47.8) also recording fast times. Four of those six also made the final at the following month's NCAA Championships, with McLean winning the national title, Belger finishing 3rd, Greene 4th, and Martin 6th. Villanova's Eamonn Coghlan was a double winner at the meet, taking the 1500 over Princeton's Craig Masback(3:40.6-3:42.3), and the 5000 over Providence's Ray Treacy, now the long-time coach at his alma mater(14:03.0-14:03.8).

On the other side of the country, marathon legends Frank Shorter(2:11.51) and Bill Rodgers(2:11.58) finished 1-2 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, and were joined on the team by 3rd-placer Don Kardong (2:12:54).

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This Day in Track & Field: May 21

1954 This might have been the only time that a field event World Record was set in the 7th round! Using NCAA rules in effect at the time, which allowed for 4 preliminary throws and three more in the final, USC's Parry O'Brien threw 60-5 3/4(18.43m) on his last effort at the Coliseum Relays in L.A. to break his own 2-week old Record (60-5 1/4/18.42m).

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This Day in Track & Field: May 19

1956 Duke's Dave Sime ran 9.3 at the Carolinas AAU meet in Raleigh to equal the World Record for the 100-yard dash. The record for the metric version of the 100 was also equalled on this day when Hall-of-Famer Bobby Morrow ran 10.2 at the South USA meet in Houston. http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs= 114

1990 Houston's Leroy Burrell runs a sensational, but very wind-aided, 19.61 to beat Baylor's Michael Johnson (19.91w) in the 200 at the Southwest Conference Championships in College Station, Texas.

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This Day in Track & Field: May 18

1957 A couple of legends-to-be led Kansas to its 6th straight Big-7 title.Sophomore Wilt Chamberlain won the high jump with a clearance of 6-5, while teammate Al Oerter won the shot put(53-6 1/2) and discus(179-10).

1962 A big day at the Coliseum Relays for two of the sport's greats. Al Oerter, with two of his four Olympic gold medals already under his belt, got his long-awaited first (of four) world records and broke the 200-foot barrier with his winning throw of 200'-5 1/2". Jay Silvester, who held the previous record of 199-2, finished 2nd(198-2). Oerter didn't have much time to enjoy his new-found status as Soviet Vladimir Trusenyov threw 202-3 less than a month later. Dallas Long, who had won the bronze medal at the 1960 Olympics (and would win the gold in 1964), won the shot put with a toss of 65-10 1/2 to regain the world record from Bill Nieder(65-9 3/4). Both Oerter and Long are members of the U.S. T&F Hall of Fame: Oerter: http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs= 124; Long:http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HO FIDs=99

Somewhat overshadowed by the two records was a classic matchup in the men's mile. New Zealand's Peter Snell, who had already established himself as the world's best 1/2-miler (1960 Olympic gold, world record earlier in the year), moved into new territory when he established a world record of 3:54.4 in the mile in January. Facing him would be the man he feared most in this "new" event for him--Dyrol Burleson, the American Record holder (3:57.6) and the world's #1-ranked miler in 1961.

Snell and "Burly" were content to follow Cary Weisiger through the 3/4-mile split (3:02.1), and the race came down to a sprint over the last 220-yards. Burleson was clocked in 26-seconds for his final 1/2-lap, which would have beaten most mortals, but Snell was quickly becoming a "god" in the sport, and his masterful 24.5 brought him across the line first in 3:56.1, an American All-Comers Record, while Burleson just missed his AR with his runnerup time of 3:57.9.

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This Day in Track & Field: May 17

1975 Jim Ryun's mile World Record of 3:51.1 had stood since 1967(he set the previous record of 3:51.3 in 1966), but Tanzania's Filbert Bayi, using the same front-running tactics that he used to break Ryun's 1500 record in 1974, ran away from Marty Liquori (3:52.2-PR) and Eamonn Coghlan (3:53.3-European Record) on the last lap and finished in the record time of 3:51.0 in front of 37,000 fans at Jamaica's jam-packed National Stadium.

News of the great fields being assembled for the International Freedom Games made its way back to New York, and Bob Hersh, Peter Diamond, and myself, all hardcore fans with a collective attitude of "have stopwatch, will travel", decided that we had to go to Kingston for the meet. We all had press credentials and were able to stand trackside throughout the whole evening, soaking up the great carnival atmosphere in the stadium. Picture Franklin Field during a U.S.-Jamaica battle at the Penn Relays, but this time everyone in the stands is from Jamaica.

Many of the fans were just as interested in the sprints as they were in the mile(maybe more so), but local hero Don (DQ) Quarrie, who would win the gold medal in the 200 and the silver in the 100 at the 1976 Olympics, was beaten in the 100 by Americans Steve Williams (10.0) and Florida prep Houston McTear(10.1=H.S. Record), and again in the 200 by Williams (19.9-20.2), who had the greatest 1-day sprint double in history

. Freshman Mark Belger, part of a large Villanova contingent at the meet, had a breakthrough race, winning the 800 by a hair over Byron Dyce (1:47.1 for both), but the highlight of the meet was, of course, the mile.

Bayi looked like he would run away from the mile field as he led by 15-yards through the first 1/4-mile in 56.9, as Villanova assistant coach Jack Pyrah shouted splits to Coghlan (59.1) and Liquori(59.2). The lead was still about 10-yards as Bayi went through the 1/2-mile in 1:56.6. Liquori and Coghlan, the former and current Villanova Wildcats (both coached by the legendary Jumbo Elliott), caught up to Bayi halfway through the 3rd lap, but, as he revealed later, it was part of Bayi's strategy, hoping that his two main rivals would tire themselves while trying to stay close.

Bayi held a slight lead as he led through the 3/4-mile split in 2:55.3, but he quickly opened a gap on Coghlan and Liquori, and now the race was against the clock. Bayi crossed the line in first, with Liquori moving ahead of Coghlan in the final stretch. Everyone knew Bayi was close, but we all had to wait for the official announcement. The late Foggy Burrowes, one of the sport's great showmen, began announcing the results, starting with 3rd place (Coghlan-3:53.3) and reminding the crowd, "The world record is 3:51.1". He then gave 2nd place (Liquori-3:52.2), and again reminded the crowd of the world record. And then he gave Bayi's time, "3 minutes, 51 point..." and then hesitated before finishing off with "zero" as the crowd erupted in a deafening roar.

Finishing behind the top three was a fast-closing Rick Wohlhuter, who ran 3:53.8, the exact time he had picked for himself in the pre-race pool, and he was followed by Tony Waldrop (3:57.7) and Reggie McAfee (3:59.5).

Bayi's effort gained more stature over the years, since it was the last time that a world record was set in the mile without the assistance of a pace-setter! But while Ryun had been the record holder for nine years (1966-1975), Bayi's reign ended less than three months later when New Zealand's John Walker broke the 3:50 barrier with his 3:49.4 in Goteborg, Sweden.

A footnote--As I returned home to NY, an ever-suspicious U.S. Customs agent asked at the airport, "So let me get this straight--you went to Jamaica for the weekend just to watch a track meet?". With visions of a strip-search for "contraband" dancing in my head, I convinced him that, yes, "I am a certified 'track-nut', prone to doing crazy things to see a good meet and he waved me on through!

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This Day in Track & Field: May 16

1931 It took 15 years for him to get official recognition, but South Africa's Danie Joubert finally got credit for the World Record-tying 9.4 he ran for 100-yards on this day in Grahamstown, SA. Halfway around the globe, another World Record was tied on the same day when Ben Eastman ran 47.4 for 440-yards at Stanford. Ted Meredith ran the first 47.4 at the 1916 IC4A Championships. Related link: http://frankwykoff.com/USC-Stanford.htm.

1971 In one of the most highly anticipated races in history, future Hall of Famers Jim Ryun and Marty Liquori, who were teammates on the 1968 Olympic team, met in the "Dream Mile" at the Martin Luther King International Freedom Games at Philadelphia's Franklin Field. My brother Pete and I (and a few friends) had planned to drive from NY to watch the meet, but we awoke to a rainy and cool morning. There was some debate on whether to go or not, but we agreed that we had to--thank goodness we did! To set the stage, Ryun had dominated the mile in the mid-60s, setting world records of 3:51.3 and 3:51.1, but had retired after the 1969 season, one in which he was beaten by Liquori at the NCAA Championships and then dropped out at the AAU Championships, which was won by Liquori. In the meantime, Liquori had established himself as one of the best milers in the world(ranked #1 in 1969). Ryun had announced his return to the sport earlier in the year, and the interest in a rematch of America's two best milers grew with each passing week. And then there was the social aspect, with Ryun, the All-American boy from the Midwest, going against Liquori, the "tough" guy from New Jersey. Liquori, who had starred at Franklin Field as a member of Villanova's powerhouse teams at the Penn Relays, was even booed by some of what were supposed to be his "hometown" fans, who were rooting for "good guy" Ryun.

Both runners and some observers tried to downplay the importance of the early-season matchup, but fans and newspapers across the country would have none of that. Theories on the best race plans for each runner abounded--most centered on how Liquori could blunt Ryun's awesome kick.

Too often, events like this fail to live up to the hype, but this one exceeded all expectations and will go down as one of the great races of all time. 20,000+ fans who had braved the raw conditions stirred with excitement as the race began. There was no rabbit, and the field of 11 was taken through a modest first 1/4-mile by Manhattan College freshman Joe Savage, with Liquori and Ryun sitting in 4th(61.1) and 6th(61.4), respectively. Savage continued to lead through the next 220, then West Virginia's Morgan Mosser took over briefly, with Ryun moving into the lead at the 1/2-mile, followed closely by Mosser and Liquori, with all 3 timed in a slowish 2:03.3. Next came Reggie McAfee and Byron Dyce at 2:03.6, Savage, Keith Colburn, Brian McElroy, Denis Fikes, Dave Wright, and Sam Bair.

The tension was building as everyone wondered when Ryun or Liquori would make a move. That question was answered quickly as Liquori, who, like Ryun, had run a sub-4 minute mile in high school, started picking up the pace with about 700-yards to go, with Ryun right on his heels. Fans wondered if Liquori was starting his kick too soon, but he would say later, "I think I started my kick too late".

The two giants went through the 3/4-mile split in 3:00.-3:00.3, meaning they covered that 3rd quarter in roughly 57-seconds. Everyone who hadn't stood up when Liquori started his long drive were now on their feet as the two rivals went down the final backstretch together. As they entered the final turn, it looked like Ryun was poised to unleash his devastating kick, but Liqouri, as tough a competitor as the sport has ever seen, held off Ryun in a memorable stretch duel, with Liquori running a personal best of 3:54.6, with Ryun clocked at 3:54.8. A great race by two great runners!

Fans and officials swarmed the finish area to congratulate both runners, making it difficult for the trailing runners to cross the finish line. Also breaking four minutes was Dyce, the former NYU star, who was 3rd in 3:59.6. He was followed by 4.McAfee (4:00.0), 5.Colburn (4:01.1), 6.Mosser 4:02.7, 7.Savage 4:02.7, 8.Fikes (Penn) 4:03.9, 9.Bair (Pacific Coast) nt, 10.Wright (Villanova) 4:06.7, 11.McElroy 4:16.6. 1982 Polly Plumer (University-Irvine,Ca) ran 4:35.24 in the women's mile at the UCLA/Pepsi Inv. to set a high school record that still stands. At the same meet, Carl Lewis jumped 28-3 twice and the best of the West beat the best of the East in a highly anticipated men's mile, with Steve Scott (3:52.68) getting the better of former Villanova star Don Paige(3:54.19).

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This Day in Track & Field: May 15

1948 Competing at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, California, Hall-of-Famer Mel Patton (http://usatf.org/athletes/hof/patton.asp) became the first man to run 9.3 for the 100-yard dash. He had been part of the group, which included Jesse Owens, that held the previous record of 9.4. In 1949, he ran 20.2 to break Owens's World Record for 220-yards on the straightaway. At the 1948 Olympics, "Pell Mell" finished a disappointing 5th in the 100-meters after getting a bad start, but came back to win gold medals in the 200 and 4x100 relay. He also won five individual NCAA sprint titles while at USC(1947-100y, 1948-100m,200m, 1949-100y,220y), and anchored the Trojans to a World Record of 1:24.4 in the 4x220y-relay at the 1949 NCs (They improved the record to 1:24.0 the following week at the Coliseum Relays). After retiring from the amateur side of the sport in 1950, he competed as a professional in Australia befor entering the business world. Time Magazine Cover--1948 Olympics(Time subscribers can read story): http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101480802,00.ht ml

1965 Senior Jim Ryun (Wichita East, KS), who had become the first prep to break 4-minutes for the mile when he ran against open competition in 1964, did it again, this time against other high school runners, running 3:58.3 to win the Kansas state title. 1983 Competing early at the UCLA/Pepsi Invitational, Tom Petranoff, who was coached at the time by Bill Webb, the current head men's coach at Tennessee, caught many people at the meet off guard when he threw the (old) javelin an amazing 327-2(99.24) in the 2nd round to set a new World Record. The throw shattered the previous mark of 317-4(96.72m), which was set by Hungary's Ferenc Paragi in 1980. Petranoff, with a previous best of 297-2(90.58m?), passed in the next two rounds, but was convinced to take another throw in the 5th round (281-10/85.90m) to satisfy TV and newspaper photographers who had missed the big throw! Finishing 3rd was the late Bob Roggy(274-7/83.70m), who saw his American Record of 314-4(95.80m) obliterated by Petranoff. The 2-time U.S. Olympian(1984-1988), who made a controversial move to South Africa in 1989(see links), is still active in the sport, promoting his "Turbo-Jav" training implement. T&F News Cover(June): http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/archive/past_issues/198 3covers.html; 1997 Interview: http://www.longandstrong.com/Interviews/petranoff.html; Masters Track story(2000): http://www.masterstrack.com/news2000/news2000feb19a.h tml

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This Day in Track & Field: May 12

1888 Yale's Charles Sherrill is credited with becoming the first man to use the "crouching" start in a sprint race(at least in the U.S.--see below). Sherrill won the 100y and 220y at an athletic meeting sponsored by the Rockaway Hunting Club in Cedarhurst, Long Island. In addition to winning 7 IC4A sprint titles in the late 1880s(4-100y/1887-1890, 3-220y/1888-1890), Sherrill was also the 1887 U.S. Champion in the 100-yard dash. In an era when there were fewer restricitons on eligibility, Sherrill also finished 2nd in the IC4A 100 in 1886. In 1894, he organized the first international collegiate track meet, a match between Yale and Oxford.

Sherrill went on to have a distinguished career as a lawyer, a U.S. ambassador, and a pivotal member of the International Olympic Committee.

Sherrill reportedly learned the new starting technique from famed coach Mike Murphy, who observed runnners such as New Zealand's Bobby MacDonald using the innovative style on the professional circuit in Australia and New Zealand.

1956 Two sporting legends tied for first place in the high jump at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, California. Charlie Dumas, who would become history's first 7-footer the following month at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and a young basketball player named Bill Russell both cleared 6-9 1/4. Cordner Nelson wrote of Russell in T&F News (www.trackandfieldnews.com) at the time, "...a good coach would have him clearing 7'-3" or better in a few months...if (the 6'-10") Russell wanted to make the effort". Both would win gold medals at the Melbourne Olympics later in the year, Dumas in the high jump and Russell, who had led the University of San Francisco to its 2nd straight NCAA title in March, as a key member of the winning U.S. basketball team. Russell was ranked #7 in the world in 1956 by T&F News (Dumas was #1), but gave up the opportunity for further glory in the event to pursue a career in the NBA. I guess the Hall-of-Famer made the right decision, leading the Boston Celtcis to 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons.

1962 The University of Oregon, which has produced more than 30 sub-4 minute milers over the years, used three of them here as they ran 16:08.9 (ratified as 16:09.0) in the 4-mile relay at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, California, to shatter the previous World Record of 16:23.8, which was set by a Peter Snell-anchored New Zeland team the previous year. Leading off for the Ducks was Archie San Romani, Jr., who ran 4:03.5 and would later run 3.57.6 in 1964. He was followed by Canadian Vic Reeve (4:05.4), the only one of the four who never broke four, and Keith Forman (4:02.3), who ran 3:58.3 later in the year. With Dyrol Burleson, the American Record holder in the mile (3:57.6) and 1960 Olympic finalist(6th) on the anchor, a new record was a certainty, but "Burly" raced as if every second counted and finished off Oregon's great run with an anchor split of 3:57.7. Burleson made his 2nd Olympic final in 1964, finishing 5th in Tokyo.. New Zealand regained the WR when it ran 16:02.8 in 1972, but Oregon's mark stood as the Collegiate Record for 37-years until Arkansas ran 16:07.96 at the 1999 Penn Relays(Michigan improved the record to 16:04.54 at the 2005 Penn Relays). There was another record performance on the same day on the other side of the country. Running at home in a dual meet against the Quantico Marines, Villanova's Frank Budd, who had set a World Record in the 100-yard dash(9.2) the previous year, ran 20-flat to tie Dave Sime's World Record for 220-yards on a straightaway. Budd also won the 100y in 9.3 to match Sime's fastest 1-day double.

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This Day in Track & Field: May 8

1954 Future 2-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall-of Famer Parry O'Brien (USC), using his innovative "O'Brien Glide" , broke the 60-foot barrier in the shot put with his winning toss of 60-5 1/4(18.42m) in the USC-UCLA dual meet in L.A. (http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs =123)

1965--This proved to be a good date for barrier breaking as Texas A&M freshman Randy Matson, who had just turned 20 in March, became the first 70-footer in the shot put. Another future Hall-of-Famer(and 1968 Olympic gold medalist), Matson got his big toss of 70-7 1/4(21.52m) in the opening round at the Southwest Conference Championships on his home field in College Station, Texas. http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs= 103

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This Day in Track & Field: May 6

1954 No event has had more of an impact on the sport than Roger Bannister's historic 3:59.4 mile at the Oxford University track on Iffley Road. Sweden's Gunder Hagg had held the world record of 4:01.4 since 1945 and the race to become the first man in history to break 4-minutes for the mile had been joined by three men--Bannister, Australia's John Landy, and American Wes Santee.

Bannister enlisted two friends to help set the pace in this latest attempt at making history. Training partner Chris Brasher, who would win the gold medal in the steeplechase at the 1956 Olympics, led Bannister through the first 1/4-mile in 57.4, with Bannister right behind in 57.5, and Chris Chataway, who would set his own world record at 5,000-meters later in the year(13:51.6), a close 3rd. The order stayed the same through the 1/2-mile (1:58.2), then Chataway moved into the lead with 1-1/2 laps to go, leading through the 3/4-mile split in 3:00.5. Bannister went into the lead on the final backstretch and his race against the clock and a seemingly unbreakable barrier was successful as he crossed the line in 3:59.4. Stadium announcer Norris McWhirter (who, along with his brother, Ross, started the Guiness Book of World Records), very aware of the significance of the result, said with typical British restraint, "Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the result of event number 9, the one mile: First, number 41, R.G. Bannister of the Amateur Athletic Association and formerly of Exeter and Merton Colleges, with a time which is a new meeting and track record, and which, subject to ratification, will be a new English Native, British National, British All-Comers', European, British Empire, and World's record. The time is Three... " and the rest of the time was lost in the roar of the crowd. (From the IAAF's World Record Progression book).
RELATED LINKS: video of the entire race-- http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/6/news id_2511000/2511575.stm; SI's first "Sportsman of the Year":

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1998/sportsman/19 54/;

BBC Remembers: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/3688913.stm;

Bannister Sculpture: http://www.boulderrunning.com/features/bannister-paradig m.php;

http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ban0bio-1; "The Four Minute Mile":http://www.runningmovies.com/f.htm#62;

Neal Bascomb's "The Perfect Mile": http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/booksellers/press_re lease/bascomb/; Reviews of ESPN's movie "Four Minutes":

http://www.christopher-plummer.com/fourminutes.html 1979 Senior Jeff Nelson (Burbank,Ca) ran 8:36.3 at the UCLA/Pepsi Inv. to break Craig Virgin's National H.S. 2-mile Record of 8:40.9(1973). The closest anyone has come to Nelson's time since then was the 8:41.45 that Matthew Centrowitz (Broadneck,Md) ran in 2007.

1990 Scoring in six events, Meredith Rainey http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/oldBios/2000/valmon.html led Harvard to its first Heptagonal team title. Rainey was 3rd in the 100(12.32), 2nd in the 200(24.59), won the 400(51.56) and 800(2:07.54), and ran on the runnerup 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

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This Day in Track & Field: May 5

1956 The University of Oregon has produced more than sub-4-minute milers during its illustrious history, and the first was Australian Jim Bailey, who ran 3:58.6 in a special race during the annual USC-UCLA dual meet at the Los Angeles Coliseum. 40,000 fans cheered as Bailey overtook world record holder (and fellow Australian) John Landy, the favorite, to win the race. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/blainenewnham/200 2962054_blai30.html

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