by RBR Admin
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.
by Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission
This Day in Track & Field-January 7
1978–With the meet’s namesake cheering from the sidelines, the Muhammad Ali Invitational, held on the spacious 200-meter banked oval in Long Beach, California, produced three world records. Houston McTear might have caught a quick gun, but his 6.54 was accepted as the new standard for 60-meters. The Soviet Union’s Valeriy Borzov (Ukraine) and Germany’s Manfred Kokot had shared the previous mark of 6.58.
Local favorite Mike Tully jumped 18-4 (5.59m) to break Dan Ripley’s 2-year old amateur Pole Vault record of 18-3 ¾ (5.58) (pro Steve Smith had already jumped 18-5 [5.615m?]), and the 3rd global mark went to Herman Frazier, who ran 1:01.3 to break Stan Vinson’s 500-meter record of 1:02.3.
Dick Buerkle, more accustomed to running longer distances, gave a hint of things to come (he would set a world record in the Mile the following week) by setting a fast pace in the 1500-meters (56.5, 1:56.5, 2:56.6) before fading to 3rd (3:40.0) behind Kenya’s Wilson Waigwa (3:38.6) and Paul Cummings, who set an American Record of 3:39.4.
Villanova made the cross-country trip worthwhile as Mark Belger (1:48.7) won the 800 over Kenya’s Mike Boit (1:48.9), and its 4×400 relay, with a lineup of Keith Brown (49.9-had to leap over a fallen runner), Tim Dale (47.3), Derek Harbour(45.8) and Canadian Glen Bogue (46.6), won with a Collegiate Record of 3:09.6. (from Track and Field News).
1990–Competing at the Dartmouth Relays, Lynn Jennings set a World Indoor Record of 15:22.64 for 5000-meters.
WR Progression: http://tf-stats.com/world_indoor_women.php
2017—Quanera Hayes ran 35.71 for 300-meters at Clemson to break Natasha Hastings’ year-old American Record of 36.25. 17-year old H.S. senior Candace Hill finished 2nd in 36.84, but didn’t get credit for a prep record since she had turned pro after the 2015 season,
2017—Junior Armand “Mondo” Duplantis (Lafayette,La) jumped 18-2 (5.54) and then 18-5 (5.615?) in Baton Rouge to improve his own U.S. High School Indoor Record of 18-1/2 (5.50/22016) in the Pole Vault. He also bettered Chris Nilsen’s outdoor mark of 18-4 ½ (2016). He would raise the Indoor Record 3 more times in 2017, ending with a best of 19-1 (5.82).
He took the H.S. records to new levels in 2018, clearing 19-3 ½ (5.88) indoors and a phenomenal 19-10 ¼ (6.05) while winning the gold medal at the European Championships. (representing Sweden, the birthplace of his mother).
(He has since raised the World Record to 20-6 1/2 [6.26]), won gold at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, and gold at the 2021 and 2024 Olympics).
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/sweden/armand-duplantis-14679502
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_Duplantis
Significant Birthdays
Born On This Day*
Soufiane El Bakkali 29 (1996) 2021 and 2024 Olympic gold medalist—Steeplechase (2016-4th)
2-time World Champion—2022, 2023 (2017-silver, 2019-bronze)
PBs: 3:31.95 (2021), 7:41.88i (2018), 13:10.60i (2017), 7:56.68 (2023/#9 All-Time); 2024 SB: 8:04.29
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/135068
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soufiane_El_Bakkali
Videos: ’21 OG ’22 WC ’23 WC (Finish) ’24 OG
Caster Semenya—South Africa 34 (1991) 2-time Olympic gold medalist—800-Meters (2012, 2016)
3-time World Champion—2009, 2011, 2017 (bronze-1500m)
PBs: 49.62(2018), 1:21.77/600m(2017/World Record at the time, now #2), 1:54.25 (2018/#4 All-Time World), 2:30.70
(2018/#6 A-T)…also 1:54.60 (2018), 1:54.77 (2018)/#6 & #9 All-Time Performances)
Flagbearer for South Africa at the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics
Videos:
2009 WC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpblUehi9Dk
2012 OG (“winner” Mariya Savinova was subsequently disqualified for a doping violation):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHU9OFSwmEs
2016 OG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anqBSY1qHSk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/123859
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/south-africa/caster-semenya-14330057
Has been the subject of controversy ever since winning the 800 at the 2009 World Championships
Career Timeline(From The Guardian):
www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/01/how-caster-semenya-controversy-unfolded-since-2009-timeline
Key Moments
August 2009–Aged 18, Semenya wins world 800m gold in Berlin in 1min 55.45sec. Afterwards the IAAF reveals
the athlete has been the subject of a gender verification process and she is declared ineligible to compete for
11 months.
April 2018–The IAAF announces new rules which would force female athletes to reduce and maintain their
testosterone levels to no greater than 5nmol/L by 1 November if they want to compete in events ranging
from 400m to a mile.
May 2019–Semenya loses her landmark legal case against athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, which means she
will have to take medication to reduce her testosterone if she wants to keep running 400m to a mile on
the international stage.
Now limited to distance races, she ran personal bests of 8:54.97 (3000) and 15:31.50 (5000) in 2022;
2024 SBs (road): 17:58, 36:55
https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/5/3/18526723/caster-semenya-800-gender-race-intersex-athletes
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/sports/olympics/caster-semenya-court-ruling.html
Semenya Speaks Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeQYdyDsioY
“The Race to be Myself”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSkDNtsZkLA
(Google the book’s title to view many more reports)
Tom Donnelly 78 (1947) Was the head coach at Haverford College since 1976—retired after the 2023 X-Country season, but will remain
with the team as a Volunteer Assistant to new Head Coach Matt Cohen. Team won the 2010 NCAA DiV.III X-Country title.
All-American helped lead Villanova to 3 consecutive NCAA X-Country titles. Was the #1 finisher for the Wildcats in 1966 (8th) and
1968 (7th), #2 in 1967 (23rd)
NCAA Steeplechase-1967 (8th), 1968 (4th), 1969 (3rd); PB:8:45.5 (1970)
Member of Villanova’s 1968 NCAA Indoor Championship team—ran the 880y leg on the winning Distance
Medley team.
3-time Penn Relays Champion—4-mile relay (1967-1969)
Member USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame
http://haverfordathletics.com/sports/mtrack-out/coaches/donnelly_tom?view=bio
http://villanovarunning.blogspot.com/2009/12/charmed-life-of-tom-donnelly.html
http://www.ustfccca.org/awards/tom-donnelly-ustfccca-class-of-2014
Charlie Jenkins 91 (1934) 1956 Olympic gold medalist—400, 4×400…had finished 3rd in the 400 at the U.S. Olympic Trials
1955 U.S. Champion-440y
2-time U.S. Indoor Champion-600y (1957,1958)
All-American at Villanova: NCAA-1955 (440y-2nd), 1956 (400m-3rd, 1957(440y-3rd)…helped the Wildcats win the
NCAA team title in 1957…also on that team were fellow Olympic gold medalists Ron Delany (1500/1956) and Don
Bragg (Pole Vault/1960)
2-time IC4A Champion-440y (1955, 1957)
3-time IC4A Indoor Champion-600y (1955-1957)
8-time Penn Relays Champion:
Mile Relay (1955-1957/anchored all 3 years)
Sprint Medley (1955-880y, 1956-440y, 1957-440y)
Distance Medley (1956-880y, 1957-880y)
Set a National H.S. Indoor Record of 1:13.1 for 600-yards in 1953
Served as the head coach at Villanova from 1981-1990. Took the position after his coach at Villanova, Hall-of-Famer
Jumbo Elliott passed away in 1981…son Chip was an Olympic gold medalist in the 4×400 in 1992 (1st round)
Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1992
HOF Bio(1992): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/charlie-jenkins
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78602
Oldest Living Olympians: https://acsweb.ucsd.edu/~ptchir/
Best NCAA Team Ever?: www.villanovarunning.blogspot.com/2010/01/was-this-best-villanova-track-team.html
New Challenge (1981):
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/31/sports/charlie-jenkins-faces-a-new-challenge.html?pagewanted=all
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Jenkins_Sr.
Like Father, Like Son: http://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/09/sports/villanova-runner-follows-father-s-path.html
Deceased
Diane Leather–Great Britain 85 (1933-Sep.5, 2018)… Became the first woman to break 5-minutes for the mile(4:59.6) in
1954, shortly after Roger Bannister had broken the 4-minute barrier in the Men’s Mile.
Set 5 World Records in the mile (pre-IAAF Certification)
5:02.6 September 30, 1953
5:00.2 May 26, 1954
4:59.6 May 29, 1954
4:50.8 May 24, 1955
4:45.0 September 21, 1955
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/obituaries/diane-leather-dead.html
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/14/diane-leather-obituary
https://athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/mile-legend-diane-leather-dies-1038762/
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_run_world_record_progression
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Leather
