On this day in athletics September 18 Dennis Horgan 7th push WR (1904), Vladimir Kuts runs 13:46.8 5000m WR (1955), Nicole Duclos, Colette Besson set 400m WR (51.7 ) and Justin Geth. runs the last race (2021), by Walt Murphy News & Results Services

This day in the field of athletics – September 18

1904— Ireland’s Dennis Horgan set the 7th^th and his last career world record in the shot put before the IAAF with a throw of 48-10 (14.88). Competing for Great Britain, he would win a silver medal at the 1908 Olympics at the age of 37; he is still the oldest Olympic medalist in that event. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Horgan

1955— Vladimir Kutz of the Soviet Union ran 13:46.8 in Belgrade to reclaim the world record for 5,000 meters 2.^th time Coutts would take the record back to 3^th the time he ran 13:35.0 in 1957.

World record progress 1954-1965

13:56.6 Vladimir Kuts Soviet Union August 29, 1954

13:51.8 Chris Chataway Great Britain October 13, 1954

13:51.2 Vladimir Kuts October 23, 1954

13:50.8 Sandor Iharos Hungary September 9, 1955

13:46.8 Vladimir Kuts September 18, 1955

13:40.6 Shandor Iharos October 23, 1955

13:36.8 Gordon Peary Great Britain June 19, 1956

13:35.0 Vladimir Kuts October 13, 1957

13:34.8 Ron Clark Australia January 16, 1965

1968— Jay Sylvester broke his 4-month world record (218-4 (66.54)) in the discus twice at the Reno All-America meet, first with a throw of 223-4 (68.07) and then 224-5 (68, 40).

WR progress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_discus_world_record_progression

Hall of Fame Biography: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/jay-silvester

1969–Nicole Duclos outlasted her French teammate, 1968 Olympic gold medalist Colette Besson, to win the women’s 400 meters at the European Championships in Piraeus, Greece, both in world records of 51.7 (auto times 51.77-51.79). )

Results:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_European_Athletics_Championships

1983— Joan Benoit regained the half-marathon world record with a 69:10 victory in Philadelphia. She set records of 73:26 and 71.16 in 1981, only to be beaten by Norwegian Grete Weitz in 1982 in 69:57. Benoit lowered the record to 68:34 in Philadelphia in 1984 (see 2005).

2004–Less than a month after winning Olympic gold in Athens, Tim Mack cleared a personal best 19-8 ½ (6.01/#6 All-Time USA) Pole vault to win the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Monaco.

Results:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_IAAF_World_Athletics_Final_–_Results

https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/us-all-time-list-men/

2005— Dina Castor ran 67:53 to break Joan Benoit-Samuelson’s 21-year-old American record of 68:34 at the Philadelphia Half Marathon.

“I’m ecstatic,” Castor said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better race. It was a wonderful morning. It was a little harder than I expected and I knew it was going to hurt a little. I’m glad it’s over. I wasn’t sure if I could run that fast and I was getting tired by the end. I wasn’t really sure I had it until I saw the clock at the end.

“No one will ever match what Joan (Benoit Samuelson) did,” Castor said of breaking one of his idols’ records. “Times may be different, but no one will ever match what he did for the sport. He’s an icon.”

Castor’s bronze medal in Athens in 2004 was the first by an American woman in an Olympic marathon since Benoit-Samuelson won gold in the inaugural race in Los Angeles in 1984.

https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/kastor-lowers-benoits-21-year-old-american-ha

2021— Justin Gatlin, 39, finished 3rd^th (10.03) in the 100 meters in Nairobi, Kenya. It would be the last race of a long career.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Gatlin

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/105463

https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/justin-gatlin-14238562