by RBR Admin
Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field—March 29
1912—Stanford’s George Horine set a World Record of 6-6 1/8 (1.985) in the High Jump at home in a dual meet with USC. Horine was the first to set a record in the event using the Western Roll. He would improve to 6-7 (2.007) on May 17, becoming the first man to clear 2-meters, and that was the first HJ record ratified by the IAAF. Horine went on to win the bronze medal at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.
Read about the development of his style, dictated by the limitations of his family’s backyard in Palo Alto, in his Wiki bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Horine
Stockholm Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd1kuIhtNOs
The High Jump: http://www.iaaf.org/disciplines/jumps/high-jump
1921–USC’s Charley Paddock edged Stanford’s Morris Kirksey in the 100-yard dash at Stanford Stadium in a dual meet between the two schools. Both were timed in 9-3/5 (9.6) to equal Paddock’s World Record that he shared with fellow Americans Daniel Kelly and Howard Drew. However, the marks were never ratified by the IAAF. It was the closest Kirksey would ever come to beating Paddock, whom he never beat in the 25 times they met!
Kirksey finished 2nd to Paddock in the 100-Meters at the previous year’s Olympics in Antwerp, anchored the winning U.S. team to a World Record in the 4×100 (Paddock ran the lead-off leg) , and won a 2nd gold medal in Rugby!
(From the IAAF Progression of World Records)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Kirksey
1975—13 days after winning the World X-Country title, Julie Brown set a pre-IAAF World Record of 35:00.4 for 10,000 Meters at UCLA. She also established the first American Record in the event. (Kathy Gibbons had run 34:51.0 in a mixed-gender race in 1971).
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres_world_record_progression
1981–Inspired by his participation in the 1979 NY City Marathon (see below), Chris Brasher, the 1956 Olympic gold medalist in the Steeplechase, was instrumental in founding the London Marathon, which made its debut in the rain on this date. (Brasher and Chris Chataway paced Roger Bannister to the 1st sub-4 mile in 1954).
The inaugural winners were American Dick Beardsley and Norway’s Inge Sorenson (2:11:48), who crossed the finish line together holding hands, and Great Britian’s own Joyce Smith (2:29:57).
Upon his return from his race in NY, Brasher wrote in The Observer:
“To believe this story you must believe that the human race be one joyous family, working together, laughing together, achieving the impossible. Last Sunday, in one of the most trouble-stricken cities in the world, 11,532 men and women from 40 countries in the world, assisted by over a million black, white and yellow people, laughed, cheered and suffered during the greatest folk festival the world has seen.”
The London race would grow into one of the world’s best and is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series.
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/chris-brasher-olympic-champion-and-co-founder
Results(Top-10): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_London_Marathon
How The Race Was Born:
Past Winners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_of_the_London_Marathon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Marathon
Men’s Finish:
1983—Abilene Christian’s Brad Pursley jumped 18-10 ¼ (5.75) on his home runway in Abilene to equal Dave Volz’s American Record in the pole vault.
1986—Jud Logan threw 254-9 (77.66) at the Florida Relays in Gainesville to set the 6th of his 10 American Records in the Hammer Throw. Logan was in his 17th season as the head coach at Ashland University in Ohio when he passed away in January, 2022.
2014—Baylor freshman Trayvon Bromell ran 10.01 for 100-Meters at the Texas Relays to equal the World & American Junior Records that were set by Darrell Brown (Trinidad & Tobago) and Jeff Demps.
https://fl.milesplit.com/articles/124560/trayvon-bromell-sets-wind-legal-world-jr-record-1001-100m
Born On This Day*
Robby Andrews 34 (1991) 2011 NCAA Champion-800m (Virginia); 2012 NCAA Indoor Champion-800m
Was a member of 3 U.S. National teams in the 1500-meters..finished 11th at the 2015 World
Championships in Beijing… disqualified in his semi-final at the 2016 Olympics for stepping over the curb
on the final homestretch…A leg cramp forced him to drop out of his semi-final race at the 2017 World
Championships
Won the prestigious Boys High School mile at the 2009 Millrose Games
2017 U.S. Champion—1500m (beat Matthew Centrowitz)
Former National H.S. Indoor Record holder—800 (1:49.21/2009), 1000-Meters (2:22.28/2009) (Manalapan,NJ)
Finalist–2016 World Indoor Championships-1500 (4th)
Ran 3:36.05 for 1500 meters in early June in 2018, but then didn’t make it out of the first round of the
U.S. Championships…wasn’t until later in the year that he was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
PBs: 1:44.71 (’11), 2:17.90i (’13), 3:34.78 (’12), 3:53.16i (’16); 2024 SB: 1:51.03, 3:45.31
H.S. PBs: 1:48.66 (2009),1:49.21i (2009/#10 All-Time), 2:22.28i (2009/#2 All-Time), 4:03.49 (2009)
Married to Josette Norris, one of the best Americans in the Women’s 1500/mile/5000
Great Uncle was Bobby Thomson, who famously hit The “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”, the game-winning home
run in the NY Giants 1951 playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
http://www.goprincetontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205879572
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robby_Andrews
Lyme Disease: https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=9217544
Ivan Ukhov—Russia 39 (1986) 2010 World Indoor Champion—High Jump (2012-bronze)
2-time finalist at the World Outdoor Championships (2009-10th, 2011-=5th)
The Court of Arbitration For Sport (CAS) ruled in early 2019 that Ukhov’s performances from July 16, 2012, to
December 31, 2015, including his “win” at the 2012 Olympics, be stricken from the record books due
to doping violations. Ukhov’s appeals were turned down.
PBs: 7-10 ½i (2.40/2009)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Ukhov
Kim Batten 56 (1969) 1995 World Champion—400-meter hurdles..set a World Record of 52.74 in the final (since broken)
Silver medalist—1996 Olympics; Bronze medalist–1997 World Championships
6-time U.S. Champion (1991,1994-1998);
All-American at Florida State—NCAA/1990 (2nd), 1991 (3rd)
Inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame in 2012.
PBs: 50.61 (1998), 2:10.35 (1997), 13.14 (1991), 52.61 (1995/#5 All-Time U.S., #8-World)
HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/kim-batten
1995 WC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc6PEo26_is
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77756#
A Look Back: http://hurdlesfirstbeta.com/free-articles/profiles/kim-batten-woman-dream/
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/kim-batten-60132
https://www.nolefan.org/hof/batten_kim.html
Chuck Aragon 66 (1959) Bronze medalist at the 1983 Pan-American Games
Finished 4th in the 1500-meters at the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials, just .05s behind 3rd-placer Sydney Maree
(3:37.02-3:37.07), falling to the track after making a desperate lunge at the finish in a vain attempt to make
the team. A hamstring injury forced Maree to withdraw from the Olympics in L.A., but too late for Aragon to be
named as his replacement. Maree, who first suffered the injury shortly after the Trials, was criticized by many
people for not pulling out sooner, but Aragon was more understanding. “Sometimes we pursue goals without
really knowing why. I guess I was surprised that I would feel such pain–to really hurt from something. I feel I
deserved a place on the Olympic team, for myself and for all those people who have supported me. But Sydney
deserved it, too. He has strived, both politically and athletically, to be in the Olympic Games… As far as his
injury was concerned, Sydney did what he felt was right. He didn’t want to give up that spot. I would have done
the same thing. I could have broken my leg and still run”.
In 1981, he ran 3:59.9 indoors to become the 1st Notre Dame runner and the first New Mexico native to break
4-minutes for the mile
All-American was 5th in the 1500-meters at the 1981 NCAA Championships
Daughters Alexa and Danielle (both Notre Dame) and Christina (Stanford) all had successful collegiate careers.
PBs:1:46.34 (1984), 3:34.7h (1984), 3:51.62 (1984)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-17-sp-3729-story.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Aragon
New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame
https://fightingirish.com/monogram-club-corner-chuck-aragon-2/
Deceased
Ted Haydon 73 (1912-May 3, 1985) Founder and coach of the University of Chicago Track Club
Member of the U.S. coaching staff at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics
Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1975
Among the athletes he coached was Rick Wohlhuter, the bronze medalist in the 800 Meters at the 1976 Olympics.
https://ddr56.tripod.com/haydon.htm
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/ted-haydon
His Alibis and One-Liners: http://math.uchicago.edu/~ed/haydon.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/05/sports/edward-ted-haydon-dies-ex-us-olympic-track-coach.html
http://www.ustfccca.org/awards/ted-haydon-ustfccca-special-inductee
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-05-03-8501270535-story.html
