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This day in athletics – September 4
1942– Gunder Heg reclaimed the world record on the Mile, running 4:04.6 in Stockholm. He shared the previous mark of 4:06.2 with Sweden’s Arne Andersson.
WR progress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_run_world_record_progression
Tribute to Hag: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/a-tribute-to-the-career-of-gunder-hagg
http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=235
1949— Hungary’s Imre Nemet, the 1948 Olympic gold medalist, improved his hammer world record to 195-5 (59.57) in Katowice, Poland. His previous mark of 193-8 (59.02) was set a year ago, and he would set his 3.th 196-5 (59.88) WR in 1950
His son, Miklos, was a 1976 Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder in the javelin.
September 4th turned out to be a good record-setting date for this event (see below).
WR progress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_hammer_throw_world_record_progression
1965— Hungary’s Gyula Zhivotsky threw a world record 241-11 (73.74) in Debrecen, Hungary. His throw ended Hal Connolly’s 9-year reign as the record holder in the event. Connolly set the first of his six records in 1956 (224-10 (68.54)) and the last (233-9 (71.26)) three months before Zsivotsky’s big throw.
Zhivotsky won Olympic silver in 1960 and 1964 before winning gold in Mexico City in 1968.th World record 242-0 (73.76) 1968
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/olympic-champion-zsivotzky-passes-away
1971— West Germany’s Walter Schmidt threw the hammer 250-8 (76.40) in Lahr, Germany to break the world record of 247-8 (75.48) set by Anatoly Bondarchuk of the Soviet Union in 1969.
WR progress: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_hammer_throw_world_record_progression
1972– Valery Borzov, winner of the 100, completed the sprint double at the Munich Olympics, winning the gold medal. 200 meters (20.00). Larry Black, who tied for first in the blind selection process, finished second in 20.19, while Italy’s Pietro Mennea was third.that 20.30. Mennea would win the gold medal 8 years later in Moscow. 4:th In his first year in the sport, American Larry Burton (20.37) went on to play five years in the NFL as a wide receiver. World record holder and one of the pre-Games favourites, Don Quarry of Jamaica, suffered a hamstring injury in the semi-final race.
16-year-old Ulrike Meyfarth tied for the lead Women’s high jump Bulgaria’s Yordanka Blagoeva has no misses at 6-2 (1.88) and only Austria’s Ilona Gussenbauer is still alive. The young West German cleared 6-2 ¾ (1.90) to win her 2ndth attempt and the gold medal was hers when the other two failed at that height (Blagoeva won the silver). The home crowd was already enthralled by his victory when he cleared 6-3 ½ (1.92) in his first attempt to equal Gussenbauer’s world record. He would win 2th gold medal after 12 years in Los Angeles. 23 women competed in the final.
Kenya finished 1-2 Hiking from Kip Keino (8:23.64-OR) and Ben Jipcho (8:24.62) who edged out Finland’s Tapio Kantanen (8:24.66) for the silver medal. Keino, the champion of the 1968 Olympic Games, won a silver medal in the 1,500-meter run at the Games.
Keino will return to Munich 50 years later to remember his ill-fated victory.
https://olympics.com/en/original-series/episode/memory-lane-72-a-gathering-of-champions
Victor Saneev of the Soviet Union (Georgian by birth) won the 2ndth of his 3 consecutive Olympic titles Triple jump. He posted his winning jump of 56-11 ¼ w (17.35) in the opening round, and nearly edged East Germany’s Jörg Drehmel, who jumped 56-9 ½ (17.31) on his 5.th effort Brazil’s Nelson Prudencio, the 1968 silver medalist, won bronze this time with a leap of 55-11 ¼ (17.05).
Results:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics
Videos:: M200: MSC: WHJ: Mayfarth looks back https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrike_Meyfarth
1977— American records set by Marty Liquori (5000-13:15.06/2)th Ethiopia’s Miruts Yifter-13:13.82) and Ian Merrill (3000-8:46.60/3)thLast day of the first World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany (See September 2nd for more details).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_IAAF_World_Cup
AR Progressions:
5000: http://trackfield.brinkster.net/RecProg_AllUSA.asp?RecCode=WR&EventCode=MA7&Gender=M&P=F
3000: http://trackfield.brinkster.net/RecProg_AllUSA.asp?RecCode=WR&EventCode=WA6&Gender=W&P=F
1983– Steve Ovett, representing Great Britain, set a world record for 1500 meters by running 3:30.77 in Rieti, Italy. Sydney Marie set the previous mark of 3:31.4 just a week ago. David Mack was a capable pacesetter in both record races.
WR progress. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1500_metres_world_record_progression
