by Larry Eder
Walt Murphy is one of the finest track geeks 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: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.
(c)Copyright 2024-all rights reserved. It may not be reprinted or retransmitted without permission.
This Day in Track & Field—March 30
1991—Mexico’s Arturo Barrios set World Records for 20,000 meters (56:55.6) and the 1-hour run (21,101m/13.11 miles) in La Flèche, France.
2003(3-29/30)–Deena (Drossin) Kastor finished 2nd for the 2nd year in a row, and 38-year-old Colleen DeReuck finished 7th to lead the U.S. team to the bronze medals in the Women’s Long Race on the first day(3-29) of competition at the World X-Country Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. The other American scorers were Katie McGregor (15th) and Elva Dryer (17th), with Milena Glusac (25) and Sara Wells (39) providing backup.
Drossin, who was training for the upcoming London Marathon (she would set an American Record of 2:21:16), said, “I love cross country. It’s my passion. I want to return to this race until my legs give out on me.”
Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele won the Men’s Short and Long races for the 2nd year in a row, and future greats Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) and Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) won the Junior races.
Other notable/U.S. finishers
Senior Men-Long(12.355km/3-30): 2.Patrick Ivuti (KEN), 3.Gebre Gebremariam (ETH), 4.Richard Limo (KEN), 7.Sileshi Sihine (ETH), 9.Zersenay Tafesse (ERI), 11.Meb Keflezighi (USA), 35.Abdi Abdirahman (USA), 51.Ed Torres (USA), 52.Simon Bairu (CAN), 71.Dave Cullum (USA), 79.Nick Rogers (USA): DNF-Domingos Castro (POR); Team:1.Kenya 17, 2.Ethiopia 23
Senior Men-Short(4.03km/3-29):25.Kevin Sullivan (CAN), 31.Sandu Rebenciuc (USA), 35.Salah Hissou (MAR), 37.Dan Browne (USA), 41.Adrian Blincoe (NZL), 56.Luke Watson (USA), 59.Karl Savage (USA), 60.Dan Wilson (USA), 51.Ian Connor (USA), 74.Mo Farah (GBR), 87.Julius Achon (UGA), 91.Nick Willis (NZL); Team:1.Kenya 14, 2.Ethiopia 31
Senior Women-Long(7.92km): 1. Worknesh Kidane (ETH) 25:53, 2.Deena Drossin (USA) 26:02; Team:1.Ethiopia 17, 2.Kenya 30, 3.USA 36;
Senior Women-Short(4.03km/3-29):1.Edith Masai (KEN) 12:43, 2.Worknesh Kidane (ETH), 7.Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH), 38.Sarah Toland (USA), 40.Jo Pavey (GBR), 53.Heather Sagan (USA), 55.Ann Marie Brooks (USA), 61.Kim Smith (NZL), 69.Collette Liss (USA), 76.Molly Austin (USA); Team:1.Kenya 18, 2.Ethiopia 24:
Junior Men(7.92km/3-30):26.Bill Nelson (USA), 34.Tim Moore (USA), 44.Brett Gotcher (USA), 45.Andy Weilacher (USA), 46.James Hower (USA), 63.Bret Schoolmeister (USA); Team:1.Kenya 15, 2.Ethiopia 28;
Junior Women(6.215km/3-29):3.Gelete Burka (ETH), 5.Emily Chebet (KEN), 20.Amy Hastings (USA), 25.Rebecca Walter (USA), 39.Clara Horowitz (USA), 41.Julia Lucas (USA), 51.Angela Homan (USA), 58.Laura Hodgson (USA); Team:1.Ethiopia 14, 2.Kenya 22;
IAAF Coverage:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3nnG0GBqKo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y42oP2zTb5c
2008–Despite stopping to adjust a loose shoe early in the race and giving up 15-20 seconds to the leaders when he stopped to put it back on, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele (34:38) reaffirmed his greatness by coming from behind to win his record 6th World X-Country 12k title in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a very satisfying win for Bekele, who had dropped out in the brutal conditions in Mombassa, Kenya, the year before.
“As far as the sixth Long Course win is concerned, I tried to accomplish it last year, but because of the weather, I could not do it,” Bekele said. “This has a very high honor in my life. I have won the double five times, but I think this compares to that”. As for his early mishap, Bekele said, “My shoe did not fall completely off, but I had to stop to undo it and put it back on, so it was as if it fell off because of the effort needed to put it back on.”
Ethiopia’s sweep of the individual titles in the cold, windy, and sometimes rainy conditions included two wins for the Dibaba family. With older sister Tirunesh anxiously watching from the sidelines (she interrupted her own warmup for the Senior Women’s race), 17-year-old Genzebe Dibaba won the Junior Women’s race. “Tiru” then proceeded to win her 3rd Senior “long-course” title, giving her five total career wins (She also won two “short-course” titles).
The U.S. women fought a race-long battle with Australia but fell three points shy of winning the bronze medals. Top U.S. finishers were Jorge Torres (Sr.Men-19th), Emily Brown (Sr.Women-18th), German Fernandez (Jr.Men-25th), and Alex Gits (Jr.Women-13th).
Other notable/U.S. finishers
Senior Men(12km): 2. Leonard Komon (KEN) 34:41, 3.Zersenay Tadese (ERI), 12.Augustin Choge (KEN), 15.Sileshi Sihine (ETH), 17.Gebre Gebremariam (ETH), 19.Jorge Torres (USA), 31.Craig Mottram (AUS), 43.Josh Rohatinsky (USA), 45.Ed Torres (USA), 51.Scott Bauhs (USA), 54.Max King (USA), 84.James Carney (USA), 96.Jonathan Pierce (USA), 109.Ryan Bak (USA); DNF-Alistair Cragg (IRL), Ed Moran (USA); Team:1.Kenya 39, 2.Ethiopia 104
Senior Women(7.905km):1.Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 25:10, 2.Mestawet Tufa (ETH) 25:15, 6.Gelete Burka (ETH), 18.Emily Brown (USA), 22.Katie McGregor (USA), 23.Molly Huddle (USA), 24.Kathy Newberry (USA), 49.Renee Metivier-Baillie (USA), 62.Amy Hastings (USA); Team: 1. Ethiopia 18, 2.Kenya 22, 3.Australia 84, 4. USA 87;
Junior Men(7.905km):1.Ibrahim Jeilan (ETH), 14.Feyisa Liesa (ETH), 18.Dejen Gebremeskel (ETH), 25.German Fernandez (USA), 26.Emil Heineking (USA), 35.Kevin Williams (USA), 51.Mohammed Ahmed (CAN), 52.Ryan Sheridan (USA), 72.Ben Johnson (USA), 86.Robert Moldovan (USA); Team:1.Kenya 21, 2.Ethiopia 28;
Junior Women(6.04km):1.Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 19:59, 2.Irene Cheptai (KEN) 20:04, 13.Alexandra Gits (USA), 28.Emily Schwitzer (USA), 29.Lauryanne Chetelat (USA), 30.Emily Reese (USA), 38.Lauren Saylor (USA), 44.Marissa Treece (USA); Team:1.Ethiopia 16, 2.Kenya 20
Videos:
Bekele: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6qP4DHXP3Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ZAjoWRxr8
2017—Texas A&M’s (& Grenada’s) Lindon Victor won the Decathlon at the Texas Relays with a score of 8472 points to break the Collegiate Record of 8465, which was set by Texas’ Trey Hardee at the 2006 Relays.
Victor would improve the record to 8539 points in May and won his 2nd straight NCAA title in June.
10.63/1.3, 7.37(24-2 ¼)/1.8, 16.52(54-2 ½), 2.09(6-10 ¼), 48.24, 14.94/0.8, 53.00(173-11), 4.30(14-1 ¼), 66.69(218-9) 4:48.89
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindon_Victor
