Walt Murphy is one of the best statisticians I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, a great daily service that provides truly fascinating stories about our sport. You can test the service for FREE with a one-month free trial subscription. (e-mail WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for the entire daily service. We’ll be posting a few historical moments every day starting February 1, 2024.
Results and field history copyright Walt Murphy News and Results Services and all rights reserved. RunBlogRun uses this content with permission.
Walt Murphy News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This day is athletics – August 18
1920— 5th consecutive Olympic Games “Irish Whale” won Hammer throwWith 37-year-old Paddy Ryan (173-5 ½ (52,875) following in the footsteps of John Flanagan (1900-1904-1908) and Matt McGrath (1912) (The Irish Whalers were a group of Irish-Americans who dominated the early 20th century during the throws.They were also members of the New York Police Department at one point
(158-3 (48.25)).
Born in Ireland, Ryan immigrated to the United States in 1910. His US citizenship was not approved in time for him to compete in the 1912 Olympics, and then his Olympic dreams were put on hold again when World War I led to a cancellation. 1916 Games.
After serving with the US expedition in Europe, Ryan, still wanting to become an Olympian, returned to competition in 1919 and his patience was rewarded with a victory in Antwerp.
Canadian Earl “Tommy” Thomson, IC4A and AAU champion from Dartmouth, won; 110 meter hurdles in a world record time of 14.8. Thompson set a WR of 14.4 for the slightly shorter 120-yard hurdles in winning the IC4A title. American Harold Barron (15.1) and Fag Murray (15.1) took 2nd placeth & 3:th.
Sweden’s Willam Peterson (later changed his name to Bjorneman) won the long jump with a jump of 23-5 ½ (7.15), silver and bronze went to American Carl Johnson (23-3 3/8 (7.095)) and another. Sweden, Eric Abrahamson (23-2 ¾ (7.08)).
Sol Butler, who jumped (24-8 ¼ (7.52)) at the U.S. trials, was the prohibitive favorite at the Games, but after landing in the hole on his first jump (finishing 7th/21st) left got an achilles injury. -8 (6.60)). Later, an amiable Peterson wrote:
Born the son of slaves in Oklahoma in 1895, Butler excelled in football and track at Rock Island (IL) HS, setting a high school record in the long jump of 24-2 ½ (7.38). He previously attended Hutchinson HS in Kansas. He is a member of the National HS T&F Hall of Fame and played in the NFL.
http://nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org/showcase/sol-butler/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Butler (Includes a picture of Antwerp being taken off the pitch)
Italian Ugo Frigerio (48:06.2), American Joseph Pearman (49:40.8) and British Charles Gunn (49:43.2) were the medalists in the 10,000-meter walk. Frigerio will also win the 3000m walk 3 days later.
Medal winners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympic
Olympiad Reports:: https://www.olympedia.org/editions/7/sports/ATH
Hall of Fame Bios
Ryan (2014): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/pat-paddy-ryan
McGrath (2006): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/matt-mcgrath
McDonald’s (2012): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/pat-mcdonald
http://www.wingedfist.org/Paddy_Ryan_of_Pallasgreen.html
Winged fist way: http://www.wingedfist.org/home.html
Irish whales: https://www.theirishstory.com/2012/06/22/irelands-forgotten-olympians-the-irish-whales/#.Xzuz_S2ZMhs
More about Thomson
He grew up in Southern California, held dual citizenship and was inducted into the US Hall of Fame in 1977. He attended Long Beach Poly HS and was the first California HS State Champion in the 120-year hurdles (1915).
Thompson’s coach at Dartmouth was HL Hillman.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1926/5/25/hillman-of-dartmouth-writes-of-history/
Despite being almost completely deaf in the 1940s, he became a coach at Yale and then the US Naval Academy. He also became Billy Mills’ coach until the 1964 Olympics.
Thomson/Mills: https://theolympians.co/2017/07/06/billy-mills-and-the-miracle-10000-meter-race-part-4-the-coach-vs-the-mentor/
1956— Perry O’Brien hits his world record shot put of 61-4 ½ (18.70) in Pasadena, California.
Across the country at the US Women’s Championships in Philadelphia, three American records were set by Earlene Brown in the shot put (45-0 (13.71)), Pam Curell (140-11 (42.96)) and Margaret Matthews in the long jump.
(19-4 (5.89)).
1962— Jim Beatty retook the American record in the mile from Dyrol Burleson (3:57.6/1961), running 3:56.5 in London. He would improve the record to 3:56.3 three days later in Helsinki.
http://trackfield.brinkster.net/RecProg_AllUSA.asp?RecCode=WR&EventCode=MA6&Gender=M&P=F
(Rare error on this otherwise excellent site: it lists Beatty’s 3:55.5 AR as out of order, and the year should be 1963, not 1962).
1978— Doug Brown ran 8:19.3 (8:19.29) in Berlin to reclaim the American Stelechase record.
AR progress:
http://trackfield.brinkster.net/RecProg_AllUSA.asp?RecCode=WR&EventCode=MB3&Gender=M&P=F
8:23.2 — Doug Brown 1974
8:22.54-George Malley 1977
8:21.55-Henry Marsh 1977
8:19.29–Doug Brown 1978
1989– Mexico’s Arturo Barrios ran 27:08.23 in Berlin, beating the 5-year-old world record of 27:13.81 set by Portugal’s Fernando Mamede in 1984.
Video (last few laps): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hmPPFLjyb8
WR progress. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_10,000_metres_world_record_progression
