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This Day in Track & Field–August 19
1920—Two days after winning the 800 at the Antwerp Olympics, 31-year old Albert Hill, considered too old by some British officials, once again justified his selection to the team by winning his 2nd gold medal in the 1500-meters (4:01.8). His British teammate, Philip Baker (4:02.4-estimated), finished 2nd and 3rd was American Lawrence Shields (4:03.1e). American Joie Ray, the pre-meet favorite, pulled a calf muscle shortly before the Games began and could only manage an 8th-place finish (4:10.0e).
Only New Zealand’s Peter Snell has been able to match Hill’s feat since then, winning both events at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.
Medalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympic
Olympedia Reports: https://www.olympedia.org/editions/7/sports/ATH
Wiki Bio(Hill): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hill_(athlete)
1981–It was another magical night in Zürich as World Records were set by Sebastian Coe in the Mile (3:48.53) and Renaldo Nehemiah in the 110-meter hurdles (12.93).
Nehemiah, who became the first man to break the 13-second barrier (he held the previous record at 13-flat), was pressed most of the way by his long-time rival Greg Foster (13.03), and told him after the race, “If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have run that time”.
Coe regained the record from fellow Brit Steve Ovett, who ran 3:48.8 the previous year. Coe was followed across the line by Kenyan Mike Boit (3:49.74), 20-year old Steve Cram (3:49.95), New Zealand’s John Walker (3:50.12), and Germany’s Thomas Wessinghage (3:50.95). It was the first time that 3 men had broken 3:50 in the mile in the same race.
WR Progression(110h): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_110_metres_hurdles_world_record_progression
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMUTzp-y2uc
WR Progression(Mile): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_run_world_record_progression
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lL0T6iVwAM
Hall of Fame Bios
Nehemiah (1997): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/renaldo-nehemiah
Foster (1998): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/greg-foster
Master of the Art Form (Nehemiah):
1987—Louise Ritter matched her 4-year old American Record in the High Jump with her clearance of 6-7 (2.01) in Zürich. Ritter set or tied the American Record ten times during her career, the first taking place in 1978 (6-3/1.90), the last (6-8 [2.03]) in 1988 when she won the gold medal at the Seoul Olympics.
Hall of Fame Bio(1995): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/louise-ritter
Seoul Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCFaPN2i9E4
1993–Great Britain’s Sally Gunnell won the 400-meter hurdles at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and set a World Record of 52.74. Sandra Farmer-Patrick set an American Record of 52.79 in 2nd place. 3rd went to Russia’s Margarita Ponomaryova (53.48), and 4th and 5th were Americans Kim Batten (53.84) and Tonja Buford-Bailey (54.55). They would finish 1-2 at the next Worlds in Gothenburg in 1995, with both going under Gunnell’s WR!
13 years after winning the first of ten (her total at the time) lesser individual medals in World/Olympic competition, Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey, nicknamed “The Bronze Queen”, finally won a gold, edging Gwen Torrence in the 200-meters (21.98-22.00). This time, the bronze medal went to Russia’s Irina Privalova (22.13), who finished just ahead of France’s Marie-José Pérec (22.20).
Kevin Young (47.18/Championship Record) won the Men’s 400-meter hurdles over Zambia’s Samuel Matete (47.60) and Jamaica’s Winthrop Graham (47.62), the 1-2 finishers at the 1991 Championships in Tokyo. Young (UCLA-87,88), Matete (Auburn-91), and Graham (Texas-89) were all past NCAA Champions! Young had set a World Record of 46.78 while winning gold at the previous year’s Olympics in Barcelona.
Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka won the 4th of his 6 World titles in the Pole Vault, setting a Championship Record of 19-8 ¼ (6.00m).
With the bar raised to 20-1 ¾ (6.14), Bubka was confident that he could improve his outdoor World Record (20-1 ½ [6.13]), but officials incorrectly called a time violation after only two minutes had elapsed as he got ready for his first attempt (He should have been allowed six minutes). After a lengthy discussion with officials, Bubka was allowed to take his first jump, but missed, as he did on his remaining two efforts (close on his 3rd). Kazakhstan’s Grigoriy Yegorov (19-4 1/4 [5.90]) finished 2nd and there was a tie for 3rd between Russians Igor Trandenkov and Maksim Tarasov, both of whom cleared 19-1/4 (5.80).
Medalists in the Women’s Discus were Russia’s Olga Chernyavskay (221-1 [67.40]), Australia’s Daniela Costian (214-5 [65.26]), and China’s Chunfeng Min (214-1 [65.26]).
Dan O’Brien (4598) had a 4-point lead over Germany’s Paul Meier (4594) after the first day of the Decathlon.
IAAF: https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/4th-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-6993598
Medalists: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_World_Championships_in_Athletics
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_400_metres_hurdles_world_record_progression
Videos: W200 MPV W400h
2008—Lots of drama on this night in the Bird’s Nest stadium at the Beijing Olympics.
Lolo Jones was on her way to victory in the Women’s 100-meter hurdles when she clipped the 9th hurdle and stumbled across the finish line in 7th place. U.S. teammate Dawn Harper-Nelson (12.54) wound up the winner, followed by Australia’s Sally McLellan-Pearson, who edged Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep for the silver medal (12.64 for both).
Showing a touch of class, Jones congratulated all of the overjoyed medalists, even waiting for Harper to finish her victory lap. Jones’ misfortune brought back memories of Gail Devers’ similar mishap at the 1992 Olympics, where she finished 5th in the hurdles after tripping over the last barrier while in the lead.
Sanya Richards-Ross, the heavy favorite to win the Women’s 400-meters, was well in the lead coming off the final turn, but faded in the homestretch and wound up with the bronze medal (49.94) behind Great Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu (49.62) and Jamaica’s Shericka Williams (49.69).
Richards said after the race that her right hamstring had tightened up with 80-meters to go and she couldn’t respond when passed by Ohuruogu and Williams. (See link below)
Ohuruogo made it to Beijing only after successfully appealing a lifetime Olympic ban (imposed by the British Olympic Association) for earlier missing 3 drug tests. She had returned from a 1-year ban for those missed tests to win the World title in 2007.
Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi, a native of Morocco, won the Men’s 1500-meters (3:32.94), but was later stripped of his title after failing a drug test. The new Olympic champion, the youngest in history, became the just-turned 19 Asbel Kiprop (3:33.11) of Kenya, while New Zealand’s Nick Willis moved up from bronze to silver. The new bronze medalist was France’s Mehdi Baala (3:34.21).
Ironically, Kiprop, who would win 3 World titles (2011-2013-2015), was given a 4-year ban after testing positive for EPO in 2017 (see links). An outspoken critic of drug-use throughout his career, he still maintains his innocence.
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a31092168/asbel-kiprop-quits-athletics-for-motor-sport/
Estonia’s Gerd Kanter (225-9 [68.82]), the 2007 World Champion, won the Men’s Discus over Poland’s Piotr Małachowski (222-6 [67.82]) and Lithuania’s Virgilijus Alekna (222-5 [67.79]), the 2-time defending Olympic Champion (and a 2-time World Champion-2003,2005).
The medalists in the Men’s High Jump were Russia’s Andrey Silnov (7-8 ¾ [2.36], Great Britain’s Germaine Mason (7-8 [2.34]), and Russia’s Yaroslav Rybakov (7-8 [2.34]).
Coming off a double win (1500/500) at the previous year’s World Championships in Osaka, Bernard Lagat had high hopes in 2008, but he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 1500, later revealing that a sore Achilles had cost him valuable training time leading up to the Games.
Medalists/Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics
IAAF Coverage
Videos: W100h Lolo Reflects W400 M1500 MHJ MDT
2009–18-year old Caster Semenya ran away from a strong field in the last 100-meters to win the Women’s 800-Meters by 20-meters at the World Championships in Berlin, and the discussion about the South African’s gender began in earnest.
The controversy surrounding Semenya was almost a non-issue (or at least delayed) after she was involved in an incident in the first round in Berlin.
Kenya’s Janeth Jepkosgei, the defending champion, fell in her heat, but was advanced to the semi-final round after officials ruled that she had been fouled by Semenya, who was running behind her at the time. However, Semenya was not disqualified, setting the stage for her eventual win. (Jepkosgei went on to win the silver medal (1:57.90). 3rd was Great Britain’s Jenny Meadows (1:57.93).
Home-crowd favorite Robert Harting, 2nd in 2007 in Osaka, won the first of his three World titles in the Men’s Discus with his final throw of 227-9 (69.43) and gave the world its first glimpse of his exuberant victory celebrations, ripping off his shirt and hoisting the Berlin mascot on his shoulders! Winning silver and bronze were Poland’s Piotr Małachowski (226-10 [69.15]) and Estonia’s Gerd Kanter (219-5 [66.88], the 2008 Olympic Champion.
Jamaica got a 1-3 finish in the 100-Meter Hurdles from Brigitte Foster-Hylton (12.51) and Delloreen Ennis-London (12.55), with Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schleip (12.54) splitting the two in 2nd place. 5th was Australia’s Sally Pearson (12.70), who would win World titles in 2011 and 2017 (and Olympic gold in 2012), and 7th was Dawn Harper-Nelson (12.81), the 2008 Olympic Champion.
Bahrain’s Yusuf Saad Kamel (born in Kenya as Gregory Konchellah) won the Men’s 1500-meters in 3:35.93, with Ethiopia’s Deresse Mekonnen (3:36.01) right behind in 3:36.03. Bernard Lagat (3:36.20), the defending champion, had to settle for the bronze medal this time. Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic Champion, finished 4th (3:36.47).
Ukraine
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