by RBR Admin
Walt 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: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) 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–August 13
1925—Charles Hoff upped his World Record in the Pole Vault with a clearance of 13-10 ½ (4.23) in Oslo.
1966 (New)—Kenya’s Kip Keino was a double winner at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games (August 4-13) in Kingston, Jamaica, finishing 1st in the Mile (3:55.34) and 3-Mile (12:57.4). He went past Australia’s Ron Clarke (12:59.2) on the final backstretch. Clarke (27:39.42) also finished 2nd to Kenya’s Naftali Temu (27:14.2) in the 6-mile.
Other notable winners:
Men
100y: Harry Jerome (CAN) 9.41
440y: Wendell Mottley (TTO) 45.08
120y-Hurdles: David Hemery (ENG) 14.1
Long Jump: Lynn Davies (WAL) 26-2 ¾ (7.99)
Women
440y: Judy Pollock (AUS) 53.0
880y: Abby Hoffman (CAN) 2:04.3…2.Pollock 2:04.5
Long Jump: Mary Rand (ENG) 20-10 ½ (6.36)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1966_British_Empire_and_Commonwealth_Games
3-mile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQZ83y5wmo8
1980–Soviet Tatyana Kazankina ran 3:52.47 for 1500 meters in Zürich to break her 5-week-old World Record of 3:55.0. 2nd was Mary Decker, who broke her own American Record (4:00.04) with her first sub-4 performance-3:59.43.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1500_metres_world_record_progression
1983-Finnish fans were about to have their hearts broken as the final round of the Women’s Javelin began at the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki.
Great Britain’s Fatima Whitbread, who was the 12th qualifier for the final, was leading, having thrown a personal best of 226-10 (69.14) in the first round, while Finland’s Tiina Lillak, the World Record holder, was sitting in 2nd place with a best of 221-4 (67.46). A sore back forced Whitbread to pass her last attempt, and then she had to wait to see what Lillak would do.
Lillak, with the frenzied crowd seeming to will the javelin through the air, did the improbable, throwing 232-4 (70.82) to move into the lead, and Whitbread’s heart was broken! A jubilant Lillak sprinted halfway around the track in celebration, even though one more thrower was left in the competition. When Great Britain’s Tessa Sanderson fell far short with her final effort, the gold medal was Lillak’s, and she became part of Finland’s rich history in the event. Winning the bronze medal was Greece’s Anna Verouli (215-7 [65.72]).
Legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg was the studio host of NBC’s coverage of the Championships. Being of Finnish extraction, he was so moved by Lillak’s performance and its impact on the crowd that he later named his daughter Nicole Tiina! Since NBC’s nightly shows were pre-empting the David Letterman show, Enberg emulated (somewhat reluctantly) some of the late-night host’s favorite bits, like trying to toss pens into the studio ceiling!
The Soviet Union’s (and Ukraine’s) Gennady Avdeyenko won the Men’s High Jump, clearing 7-7 ¼ (2.32) on his first attempt to beat American Tyke Peacock, who needed 3 tries to get over that height. Peacock tied the American Record already shared by Dwight Stones, Jeff Woodard, and Del Davis. 3rd on fewer misses at 7-6 (2.29} was World Record holder Zhu Jianhua of China.
There were four other past and future World Record holders in the event, three of whom also cleared 7-6: Germany’s Dietmar Mögenburg, the Soviet Union’s (and Kyrgyzstan’s) Igor Paklin, and Stones. 7th at 7-5 (2.26) was Germany’s Carlo Thränhardt, who would set an Indoor Record of 7-11 ¼ (2.42) in 1988 (matching the outdoor best).
Cheering for Stones from their seats in front of the NBC booth were wife Linda and 5-month-old son Jason. Stones performed double-duty in Helsinki, re-joining Charlie Jones, Frank Shorter, and Madeline Manning as an NBC announcer after the previous morning’s qualifying round and again the day after the HJ final.
Despite missing 3-months of training earlier in the year due to injuries, Great Britain’s Daley Thompson (8,666 points [8,714 current tables]) was able to win the Decathlon over Germany’s Jürgen Hingsen (8,561/8599), the World Record holder, and Siegfried Wentz (8478/8513).
East Germany got a 1-2 finish in the 100-meter hurdles from Bettine Jahn (12.35w) and Kerstin Knabe (12.42w). Finishing 3rd was Bulgaria’s Ginka Zagorcheva (12.64).
Medalists: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_World_Championships_in_Athletics
A Look Back:
https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20852481/remembering-the-1983-helsinki-world-championships/
Sports Illustrated Vault: https://vault.si.com/vault/1983/08/22/putting-it-all-on-the-line
Videos: WJT(Finnish) W100h
1987–Jackie Joyner-Kersee long-jumped 24-5 ½ (7.45m) at the Pan-American Games in Indianapolis to equal Heike Drechsler’s World Record. JJK jumped 23-9 ½ (7.25) in the 3rd round to add a half-inch to her American Record, then, after getting instructions from her coach and husband, Bobby Kersee, to move the beginning of her run back a touch, she exploded in the final round with her record jump.
(From the SI Vault): After the measurement with a steel tape confirmed the distance, Bob Kersee danced. He shouted. He pressed his head to a steeplechase barrier and sobbed. “I’m so emotional,” he said when composed, “because we were so close to not coming here. I have to ask myself: Am I so over-protective that I could have kept her from this?” (Kersee was concerned that his wife might get injured here with the World Championships in Rome coming up in a few weeks).
Video(Commentary by Dick Stockton & Mary Slaney): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cMML5oDAHo
https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/14/sports/pan-american-games-joyner-kersee-ties-world-record.html
Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1987_Pan_American_Games
1995-Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova, the World Record holder, won the Women’s High Jump on the final day of competition at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a clearance of 6-7 (2.01). It was her 2nd World title, coming 8 years after she won her first in Rome in 1987. Winning silver and bronze were Germany’s Alina Astafei and Ukraine’s Inha Babakova, both of whom cleared 6-6 ¼ (1.99).
Running 51.28 for his final 400 meters, Algeria’s Noureddine Morceli, the World Record holder in the event, won his 3rd straight World title in the Men’s 1500 meters (3:33.73). Finishing 2nd was Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj (3:35.28), who would start his own winning streak (four) at the next World Championships in 1997. 3rd was Burundi’s Vénuste Niyongabo (3:35.56).
It was a fast Women’s 800, with Cuba’s Ana Fiedlia Quirós/aka Quirót (1:56.11), winning over Surinam’s Letitia Vriesde (1:56.68) and Great Britain’s Kelly Holmes (1:56.95), who edged France’s Patricia Djaté-Taillard (1:57.04) for the bronze medal. American Meredith Rainey-Valmon (1:58.20) gamely led from the gun (56.42, 1:25.91) before slipping to 5th in the home stretch.
Czech Jan Železný, destined to become one of the sport’s legends, repeated as the winner of the Men’s Javelin. Sitting in 3rd place after the first 3 rounds, he came to life in the final, with his last 3 throws all good enough to win the gold medal, saving the best for last: 293-11 (89.58). Železný would win his 3rd World title in 2001 with his 3 Olympic gold medals (1992, 1996, 2000). And he’s still the World Record holder (323-1[98.48]). Winning silver and bronze were Great Britain’s Steve Buckley (283-2 [86.30]) and Germany’s Boris Henry (282-5 [86.08]).
Kenya’s Ismael Kirui (13:16.77) won the Men’s 5000 over Morocco’s Khalid Boulami (13:17.15) and fellow Kenyan Shem Kororia (13:17.59).
With the U.S. eliminated in the heats after a bad exchange, Canada needed help winning the Men’s 4×100 in 38.31. Running the last two legs for Canada were Bruny Surin and Donovan Bailey, who had earlier won silver and gold, respectively, in the 100-meter. Finishing 2nd and 3rd were Australia (38.50) and Italy (39.07).
It was a U.S. sweep in the other three relays, the women winning the 4×100 (Celena Mondie-Milner, Carlette Guidry, Chryste Gaines, Gwen Torrence) in 42.12, and the 4×400 (Kim Graham 51.1, Rochelle Stevens 50.7, Camara Jones 51.0, Jearl Miles-Clark 49.6) in 3:22.39, and the men (Marlon Ramsey 44.9, Derek Mills 44.6, Butch Reynolds 43.7, Michael Johnson 44.1) closing out the Championships with a win in the 4×400 in 2:57.32.
Other relay medalists:
W4x100-2.Jamaica (42.25), 3.Germany (43.01)
W4x400-2.Russia (3:23.98), 3.Australia (3:25.88)
M4x400-2.Jamaica (2:59.88), 3.Nigeria (3:03.18)
Medalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_World_Championships_in_Athletics
Athletics Weekly Recap: https://athleticsweekly.com/london-2017/iaaf-world-championships-history-gothenburg-1995-65488/
Videos: M1500 W800 M5000 W4x400 WHJ M4x400 M4x100(Race only) M4x100(13 minutes) W4x100
1997–The Weltklasse meet in Zürich always produces fine results, and this year’s edition was one of the best ever, as three World Records fell. Denmark’s Wilson Kipketer won the 800-meter in 1:41.24 to break the previous mark of 1:41.73 that he shared with Sebastian Coe (Rich Kenah ran his lifetime best of 1:43.38 in 3rd place). Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie broke his record in the 5000 (12:41.86), and Kenya’s Wilson Boit Kipketer set a new mark in the Steeplechase (7:59.08).
Gebrselassie was in 2nd with a lap to go, trailing Kenya’s Daniel Komen (12:44.90), who had run back-to-back sub-4 minute miles the previous month when he set a World Record of 7:58.61 for 2-miles. Geb sprinted into the lead with about 250 meters to go and pulled away to break his 2-year-old WR of 12:44.39, also set in Zurich.
The outcome of the Steeplechase was in doubt as late as the last water jump, with 3 Kenyans in contention. Kipketer pulled away for the win, while Bernard Barmassi (8:00.35) took over 2nd from Moses Kiptanui (8:00.78), who set the previous WR of 7:59.18 on this same track in 1995.
The Men’s 1500 didn’t produce a record, but it was the most profound race in history as Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj edged Spain’s Fermín Cacho in a thriller (3:28.91-3:28.95). Burundi’s Venuste Niyongabo was also under 3:30, finishing 3rd in 3:29.43, making those 3 the 2-3-4 all-time fastest performers in history, trailing only Algeria’s Noureddine Morceli, the World Record holder (3:27.37), who finished 4th here in 3:30.23. The fastest times for place were set for positions 2-13!
Results: https://www.milesplit.com/meets/133098-weltklasse-zrich-1997/results/231617/raw
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/aug/14/no-ones-world-record-safe-in-zurich-800-5000/
Videos: 1500
800 WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_metres_world_record_progression
5000 WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres_world_record_progression
Steeple-last lap WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3000_metres_steeplechase_world_record_progression
