by RBR Admin
Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field-February 14–Happy Valentine’s Day!
1925–The great Paavo Nurmi became the first man in history to run under nine minutes for 2-miles when he was clocked in 8:58-1/5 at the New York Athletic Club Inv. in Madison Square Garden.
1953–Two future Olympic gold medalists and Hall of Famers starred at the National H.S. Championships, which were held at NY’s Madison Square Garden on the same day as the Senior Championships. Milt Campbell (Plainfield,NJ) won the 60y-hurdles (7.2/4 hurdles) and High Jump (6-3), while Charlie Jenkins (Rindge Tech,Ma) won the 440y-dash (50.7).
Campbell had already won the silver medal in the Decathlon at the 1952 Olympics and went on to win the gold medal at the 1956 Games in Melbourne. Jenkins won two gold medals in 1956 in the 400 and 4×400 relay.
Tom Murphy, who would make the 1960 Olympic team in the 800-meters, anchored St.Augustine (Brooklyn,NY) to a win in the Mile Relay (3:26.3), and John Kopil (Bayonne,NJ), who had set a National H.S. Record of 4:20.1 earlier in the season, won the Mile (4:22.7).
Among the highlights at the evening’s Senior Championships, which many observers called “the greatest AAU of all”: Villanova’s Fred Dwyer (4:12.4) won the Mile over Fred Wilt (4:13.0); Harrison Dillard won the 60-yard hurdles for the 7th year in a row; Bob Richards won the Pole Vault (15-1/2 [4.585]); Horace Ashenfelter (13:47.5) broke Greg Rice’s meet record in the 3-mile; Mal Whitfield edged Ollie Sax to win the 600-yards(1:10.4 for both) and joined his Grand Street Boys teammates (Herb McKenley, George Rhoden, Andy Stanfield) on the winning sprint medley (440-100-220-330); Parry O’Brien won the Shot Put (55-10 ¾ [17.03]); Henry Laskau won his 6th mile-walk title.
(For Subscribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/02/15/83808859.html?pageNumber=177
Forgotten Champion(Campbell):
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/milt-campbell-forgotten-champion-article-1.333177
Hall of Fame Bios:
Jenkins: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/charlie-jenkins
Campbell: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/milt-campbell
1970–Returning to the same track in Louisville where he set his first world record in 1966, Martin McGrady ran 1:08.5 for 600-yards to better his previous mark of 1:09.0.
Sports Illustrated Vault: https://vault.si.com/vault/1970/02/23/mcgradys-game-deck-deal
1986—The highlight event of the Millrose Games was supposed to be the Men’s Pole Vault, which was bringing together the three men who had raised the World Record six times earlier in the season—Joe Dial, Sergey Bubka, and Billy Olson, the most recent record-setter at 19-5 ½ (5.93). However, chaos ruled as Bubka complained about a sub-par runway a small landing pit, and an over-crowded infield which led to some vaulters being interfered with.
Bubka had to be coaxed into resuming jumping after withdrawing from the event, but was unable to clear a height Olson wound up the winner (19-1/4 [5.79]), but was disappointed that his first win over Bubka was tainted by the circumstances.
The vault wasn’t the only event that marred what is usually a well-run meet, with Doug Padilla winning the 3000-meters that went a lap too long!
On the positive side, It was a sweep for Ireland in the Wanamaker Mile, with Marcus O’Sullivan (3:56.05) beating Eamonn Coghlan (3:56.34) and Ray Flynn (3:58.10). It was the first of 5 Wanamaker wins for O’Sullivan, who thwarted Coghlan’s bid for a 7th win in the famous race.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee won the Women’s Long Jump with a leap of 21-11 ½ (6.69).
1987—Bulgaria’s Yordanka Donkova set a World Record of 7.74 in the 60-Meter Hurdles in Sofia.
1992–The fast sprint straightaway in Madrid yielded World Records in the Men’s (Andre Cason-6.41) and Women’s (Merlene Ottey-6.96) 60-meters.
Cason was an easy winner, but Ottey had to chase down the fast-starting Irina Privalova (6.97) as they became the first women to run under 7-seconds.
The Netherlands’ Nelli Cooman set the previous record of 7.00 on the same track in 1986.
Video(Cason): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iNtZNZwAxc
Video(Ottey): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhXSdLLVLTo
1995–Allen Johnson ran a world best of 13.34 (Still the best ever) in Moscow in the rarely-contested (indoors) 110-meter hurdles.
1999—Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie regained the World Indoor Record in the 5000-meters by running 12:50.38 in Birmingham, England. “Geb” had run 12:59.04 in Stockholm in 1997, only to lose the Record the following year to Kenya’s Daniel Komen, who ran 12:51.48 on the same track. Geb held onto this record a little bit longer, with Kenenisa Bekele running 12:49.60 five years later in Birmingham!
2004–Arkansas’ Alistair Cragg set a Collegiate Record of 7:38.59 for 3000-Meters on his home track in Fayetteville. His wife Amy (Hastings) was the bronze medalist in the Marathon at the 2017 World Championships. Cragg’s CR stood until Notre Dame’s Yared Nuguse ran 7:38.11 in 2022.
2009—Running by herself for most of the race, Colorado senior Jenny Barringer (now Simpson) ran 15:01.70 on the oversized track at the University of Washington to set the “absolute” Collegiate Record for 5000-meters (broken by Florida’s Parker Valby in December, 2023).
https://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=11&do=news&news_id=4916
Video: https://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=8597
Post-Race Interview: https://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=videos&event_id=11&video_id=8606&folder_id=-2
2015—Former Pitt All-American Brycen Spratling ran 1:00.06 for 500-meters at the Millrose Games at NY’s Armory to break Ken Lowery’s 28-year old World Record (not an official IAAF record event).
After watching his wife, Brianne Theisen (8.10), finish 3rd in the Women’s 60-meter hurdles behind Sharika Nelvis (7.91) and Jasmine Stowers (7.92), Ashton Eaton(7.51), the world’s #1 decathlete, finished a close 3rd in the Men’s hurdles behind Aleec Harris (7.50) and David Oliver (7.51). He then gave everyone in the building a scare when he flipped over the padding that was in place after the hurdles run-in. Not to worry, though, as he quickly made his way back onto the track. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ledog9ll-wM
Before he became the sport’s #1 rabbit, Erik Sowinski was a formidable force in middle-distance races. Here, he edged Robby Andrews to win the Men’s 1000-meters (2:21.18-2:21.23).
Local favorite Phyllis Francis, who competed at the Armory often during her prep days at Catherine McAuley H.S., won the Women’s 400-meters over Sanya Richards-Ross (53.41-53.71).
In a thrilling duel, Matthew Centrowitz (3:51.35) edged Nick Willis (3:51.46) to win his 2nd Wanamaker Mile over a star-studded field that saw 10 men break 4-minutes
3.Pat Casey (3:54.36)
4.40-year old Bernard Lagat (3:54.91), the winner of a record 8 Wanamaker Miles
5.Evan Jager (3:55.25), the American Record holder in the Steeplechase
6.Chris O’Hare (3:55.35), who would win the race in 2018 and 2020
7.Leo Manzano (3:56.05), the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 1500-meters
8.Edward Cheserek (3:56.43), would end his career at Oregon with 17 NCAA titles
9.Lawi Lalang (3:57.15), Arizona grad won 8 NCAA titles from the Mile to X-Country
10.Johnny Gregorek (3:57.47), would run 3:49.98 in 2019, 2nd American to break 3:50
Armory Coverage:
http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?do=view_event&event_id=574&mgroup_id=45586&year=2015
https://www.letsrun.com/events/2015/02/2015-millrose-games
https://www.flotrack.org/events/5009209-the-108th-nyrr-millrose-games
2015—Akron’s Shawn Barber raised his Collegiate Record in the Pole Vault at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to 19-4 ¼ (5.90/from 19-3 ½ [5.88]). He would go on to win the gold medal at the World Championships later in the year.
Results: http://www.flashresults.com/2015_Meets/Indoor/02-13_Tyson/index.htm
2016—Natasha Hastings set an American Indoor Record of 36.25 for 300-meters (since broken) at the New Balance Grand Prix in Roxbury Crossing,MA.
https://www.letsrun.com/events/2016/02/2016-new-balance-indoor-grand-prix
Results: http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/02/results-tv-streaming-info-2016-new-balance-indoor-grand-prix/
Videos (for subscribers): https://boston-indoor-grand-prix.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=videos&event_id=590
2020—It looked like Keturah Orji would run her head-to-head record against rival Tori Franklin to 13-0 after jumping 47-10 ¾ (14.60) in the 2nd round of the Triple Jump at the U.S. Indoor Championships in Albuquerque (2-14/15). That bettered Franklin’s AR of 47-9 ¾ (14.57) that was set in 2019. Down to her final jump of the competition, Franklin responded by reclaiming the AR with a leap of 48-1/2 (14.64) to finally snap her losing streak against Orji.
Results: https://www.flashresults.com/2020_Meets/Indoor/USATF/
Videos(for subscribers): https://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&do=videos
Significant Birthdays
Born on This Day*
Michael Granville 47 (1978) Set the current U.S. High School Record of 1:46.45 for 800-meters in 1996…that would
remain his personal best
1999 NCAA Champion-4×400 (UCLA); 1999 NCAA Indoor Champion (DMR)
400 PB:46.15 (1995)
Dear Younger Me: https://www.milesplit.com/articles/218960/dear-younger-me-michael-granville
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=10031797
Deena (Drossin) Kastor 52 (1973) 2004 Olympic bronze medalist—Marathon;
2-time silver medalist—World X-Country Championships/short course (2002,2003)
3-time U.S. Olympian—2000 (10,000/1st round), 2008-Marathon (DNF);
5-time U.S. Champion—10,000m (’00,’01,’03,’04,’07); 3-time U.S. Champion-Marathon (’01,’07,’08)
8-time U.S. X-Country Champion—Long (’99-’03, ’07), Short (’00)
All-American at Arkansas
Former American Record holder—Marathon (2:19:36/2006/Now #4 All-Time U.S.)
45 at the time, she finished 2nd in the Brooklyn(NY) ½-marathon in 2018 (75:13)
Other PBs: 3000-8:42.59 (2000), 5000-14:51.62 (2000), 10,000-30:50.32(2002/AR at the time/now #10
All-time U.S.); 67:34 (2006/#6 A-T U.S.)
OG Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scymqt9oeEo
https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/deena-kastor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deena_Kastor
Runner’s World Articles: http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/deena-kastor
Jon Ridgeon-Great Britain 58 (1967) Silver medalist in the 110-Meter Hurdles at the 1987 World Championships
5th at the 1988 Olympics; 1996-400 Hurdles (semi-finalist)
PBs:7.56 (1988), 13.29 (1987/2x)
Currently the CEO of World Athletics
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69435
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Ridgeon
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/press-release/jon-ridgeon-appointed-iaaf-ceo
Heide Rosendahl—Germany 78 (1947) 2-time Olympic gold medalist—1972 (Long Jump, 4×100/silver/pentathlon)
PB: 22-5 ¼ (6.84/1970)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heide_Rosendahl
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/70092
Art Swarts 80 (1945) Made the U.S. Top-10 rankings in the Discus 13 times from 1966-1988 (when he was 43 years
old!)
All-American at South Carolina: NCAA-!965 (6th), 1966(6th), 1967(5th)
PB: 227-8 (69.40/1979); 6’-4” (1.93), 258 (177kg)
Long-time rival and friend of Al Oerter
Reunion: http://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/12/sports/2-old-discus-throwers-have-a-reunion-at-meet.html
U.S. Rankings: https://trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/20/sports/at-41-swarts-wins-the-discus-at-195-7.html
69.40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q4X3OFBw70
Earl Young 84 (1941) 1960 Olympic gold medalist—4×400/WR (6th in the 400); PB: 46.07 (1960)
All-American at Abilene Christian: NCAA-1961-440y (2nd), 1962 (7th)
The beneficiary of a bone-marrow transplant, Young now works to recruit new donors.
http://www.kltv.com/story/34439380/gold-medalist-recruits-marrow-donors-in-longview
Sports Illustrated Vault: https://vault.si.com/vault/1961/06/19/another-fast-christian-from-abilene
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/
https://onceuponatimeinthevest.blogspot.com/2018/10/v-8-n-65-earl-young-alive-and-swabbing.html
Meeting His Donor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiciEEVkZvg
J.W. Mashburn 92 (1933) 1956 Olympic gold medalist-4×400
2-time NCAA Champion-440y/400m (Oklahoma A&M [now State]/1955,1956)
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78741
https://video.okstate.edu/media/J.W.+Mashburn+-+OSU+Hall+of+Fame/0_jhp9j6h9
Oldest Living Olympians: https://oldestolympians.sdsu.edu
