This Day in Track & Field–July 18
(Chi Cheng, ’73 US-Italy, ’88-O.T./Lewis-Myricks, Godina, Edwards, ’04 O.T./Born On This Day-Noah Lyles, Dan O’Brien, Janis Klecker, Hemery/R.I.P.-Shirley Strickland, Mack Robinson)
1937—Ilmari Salminen ran 30:05.6 for 10,000 meters in Kouvola to break the 13-year World Record of 30:06.2, set by Paavo Nurmi in 1924. Salminen was being coached by Nurmi at the time. Salminen led a Finnish medal sweep in the 10,000 at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Olympic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D_CHIZuckE
WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres_world_record_progression
1944–Sweden’s Arne Andersson ran 4:01.6 in Malmö to break his own Mile World Record by a full second.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_run_world_record_progression
Racing Past: http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=126
Steve Cram Remembers Andersson: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/apr/07/steve-cram-athletics-mile-andersson-bannister-hulatt
1953—Bud Held raised his American Javelin Record to 250-8 (76.4) in Pasadena, CA. Held won three NCAA and six U.S. titles.
Racing Past: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Held
1959—Parry O’Brien regained the American Shot Put Record from Dallas Long with a toss of 63-2 ½ (19.265) in Philadelphia.
1970–Chi Cheng ran 11.2 in Vienna to tie Wyomia Tyus’ 100-meters World Record. Cheng also set new records in other events in the same season.
Cheng World Records Progressions:
(100) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_100_metres_world_record_progression
(200) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_200_metres_world_record_progression
(100h) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_100_metres_hurdles_world_record_progression
1972–Lyudmila Bragina set a Women’s 1500-meter World Record in Moscow.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1500_metres_world_record_progression
1973—Highlights from the USA-Italy match included various wins by American athletes.
1974—Rick Wohlhuter matched his American Record in the 800 meters and New Zealand’s Rod Dixon won a 2-mile race.
1983—A United States team set a World Junior Record in the 4×100 relay at a meet in Colorado Springs.
1988—Carl Lewis won the Long Jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials, securing his spot at the Seoul Olympics.
Various athletes also made the team in different events.
Steve Lewis set a World Junior Record in the 400-Meters.
Results/Notes: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1988.pdf
1991–John Godina won the Shot Put and Discus at the Pan-American Junior Championships.
Hall of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/john-godina
1995–Jonathan Edwards broke the Triple Jump World Record in Salamanca, Spain, with a jump of 59 feet.
Edwards’ Wind-aided jumps and further progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_jump_world_record_progression
Wiki Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(athlete)
