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By Walt Murphy News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission
This day is athletics – October 21
1964– Ethiopian legend Abebe Bikila, who had his appendix removed just six weeks ago, won his 2nd Olympic Games. Marathon title on the final day of the 1964 Games in Tokyo. Silver and bronze went to Great Britain’s Basil Heatley (2:16:19.2) and Japan’s Kokichi Tsuburaya (2:16:22.8).
Bikila, who ran barefoot when he won his first gold medal four years ago at the 1960 Rome Olympics, wore shoes this time as he ran a world best of 2:12:11.2. He won by more than 4 minutes, still the biggest win since the 1924 Olympics. Unfortunately, Bikila was involved in a car accident the following year, which left him paralyzed from the waist down, and he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1973 at the age of 41. Third place finisher Tsuburaya’s life also ended tragically at 27 years. the old man committed suicide before the 1968 Olympics, where he was expected to compete again in the marathon. Read his full story here. http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/72647
Other notable finishers in the race included Americans Buddy Edelen, who finished a creditable 6th (2:18:12.4) and Billy Mills (14th-2:22:55.4). Australia’s Ron Clark, who quickly set the pace in the race, finished 9thth (2:20:26.8).
New Zealand’s Peter Snell completed his double gold medal with a win 1500 meters (3:38.1) five days after defending his 800m title (1:45.1).
In a slow race (3:00/1200m) to get away from the lead, Snell exploded in the final furlong to move to the front and pulled away to win by 1.5 seconds.
There was a 5-way battle for silver and bronze medals, with Czech Josef Odlozil (3:39.6) and New Zealand’s John Davies (3:39.6) ahead of Great Britain’s Alan Simpson (3:39.7), American Dyrol Burleson (3:40.0) and Poland Witold Baran (3:40.3)
Running perhaps the greatest 100 meters in history (at the time), Bob Hayes led Team USA on the anchor leg to victory Men’s 4×100 relaythe team set a world record of 39.0 (39.06). Relay splits in the 4×100 are always open to debate, but Hayes was 8.6 for his relay. Paul Drayton, Jerry Ashworth and Richard Stebbins ran the first 3 legs for the USA. Silver and bronze went to Poland and France, who both scored 39.3 (39.36).
After the final, France’s Jocelyn Delecourt approached Drayton and said “what you have is Hayes”, to which Drayton grinned and replied: “That’s all we need.”
It was Hayes’ last race before starting a Hall of Fame career in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.
Running with Olan Cassel (46.0), future TAC leader Mike Larrabee (44.8), 400 gold medalist Ulysses Williams (45.4) and 200 gold medalist Henry Carr (44.5), the USA won Men’s 4×400 relay in a world record time of 3:00.7. Great Britain (3:01.6) and Trinidad and Tobago (3:01.7) were also below the previous mark of 3:02.2, which was set by the USA in 1960. at the Olympic Games.
Carr had a 5m lead when he took the baton from Williams but was caught by T&T’s Wendell Motley and Jamaica’s George Kerr after a conservative field in the first 200m. With a sneaky glance over his shoulder at his would-be rivals as if to say “nice try guys”, Carr took off and brought the USA home with a comfortable 1-second win.
John Thomas almost made up for his disappointing performance at the 1960 Olympics, where he won the bronze medal. Men’s high jump After entering the games as a favorite. She cleared the same height (7-1 ¾ (2.18)) as world record holder Valerie Brummel, but lost the gold medal by missing more. Bronze was won by American John Rambo (7-1 (2,16)).
Poland (43.6), with 18-year-old Irena Kirzenstein (Szewińska), a future IAAF Hall of Famer, competing in the 2nd prize.th leg, beat USA (43.9) is Women’s 4×100. When it was later revealed that presenter Ewa Klobukowska had failed a new sex chromosome test, Poland remained Olympic champions, but the American quartet of Willie White, Wyomia Tyus, Marilyn White and Edith McGuire won the world record. Great Britain won bronze medals (44.0).
Note:I became a Cowboys fan after Hayes joined the team and was at Yankee Stadium in 1966 when he threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to New York Giants cornerback Henry Carr. (See photo)
Medal Winners/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics
Olympia Reports:: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/16/sports/ATH
Snell Feature (800/1500): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK0woLEtQQA
Video (Men’s 4×100, Marathon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPDfT0ucUfc
Extended version (marathon): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxOdp8ka25U
Kirzenstein-Szewinska: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/hall-of-fame-profile-irena-szewinska-poland
Klobukowska: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewa_Kłobukowska
Larrabee Hall of Fame Video(includes 400, 4×400). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp37qrwvPl4
Other links (Bikila).
http://www.ethiopians.com/abebe_bikila.htm;
IAAF Hall of Fame: http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/hall-of-fame
Hayes-Carr (photo can be seen in the attached file if it does not appear here)
1965— Bill McClellon started his senior year at DeWitt Clinton, New York, putting up his 5.th National HS indoor record clearing 6-11 (2.11) at the meet in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Mark Bloom follows McClellon’s life and career as he prepares to clear the first 7-footer in this two-part series:
Part 1:: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=645265
Part 2:: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=645294
1979— Bill Rogers (2:11:42) won the New York City Marathon for 4thth year in a row, and Norway’s Grete Weitz ran 2:27:32.6 to better her annual world record of 2:32:29.8 while winning the 2th of her eight women’s titles in New York.
Other notable finishers:
Men2.Kirk Pfeffer (USA) 2:13:09…4.Ian Thompson (GBR) 2:13:43, 5.Benji Durden (USA) 2:13:49…7.Frank Shorter (USA) 2:16. 59, 8.Ron Tabb (USA) 2:16:28, 9.John Anderson (USA) 2:16:38…18.Gary Fanelli (USA) 2:18:20…43.Barry Brown (USA) 2. :23:00…46. Ron Hill (41-GBR) 2:43:20.
Women2. Jillian Adams (GBR) 2:38:33, 3. Jacqueline Garo (CAN) 2:39:06, 4. Patty Lyon (USA) 2:40:19…9. Doreen Ennis (USA) 2:48 :09.
Starters/Finishers: 11,532/10,488; Men: 9732/9279, women: 1800/1209
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_New_York_City_Marathon
Results (men): https://www.athlinks.com/Events/248522/Courses/0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_of_the_New_York_City_Marathon
http://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/
http://www.runningpast.com/rodgers.htm
Rogers in New York:
T&F News Interview-Rodgers (1978): https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Bill-Rodgers.pdf
1984– Welshman Steve Jones set a world record of 2:08:05 in the rain at the Chicago Marathon (then known as “America’s Marathon”). Completion 2th and 3th were Portugal’s Carlos Lopez (2:09:06), who won the Olympic title earlier in the year, and Australia’s Rob de Castella (2:09:09), the 1983 world champion. 5:00th was Jeff Smith representing Great Britain (2:10:08) and 14th It was Paul Cummings (2:15:29).
Jones would go faster when he won the race in 1985 in 2:07:13, but he just missed the new world record of 2:07:12 set by Lopez in Rotterdam in April of that year.
The two-time winner of the women’s division was Portugal’s Rosa Motta (2:26:01), bronze medalist at the 1984 Olympics (and later won gold at the 1988 Olympics). Next up was Australia’s Lisa Ondiecki (2:27:40) and Norway’s Ingrid Christiansen (2:30:21). 5:00th was American Lisa Rainsberger (2:31:31) and 8th Canada’s representative was Jacqueline Garo (2:35:33).
Since CBS’s live coverage of the race was not shown in the Boston area, Reebok USA flew Jones (who ran for Reebok) from Wales to watch the party at the city’s famed Elliott Lounge (the Coogan of its day). After Thanksgiving. The Back Bay facility was packed with members of the local running community who tuned in to watch the race replay on the big screen.
Local attention soon turned to a smaller screen that carried a college football game between Boston College and Miami. And for good reason, this was the game where BC quarterback Doug Flutie threw his famous Hail Mary pass that gave the Eagles a last-second victory. Tony Revis, who was an analyst for the CBS show, offers more at the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hen0HM49Buc
Post-race interview (Jones): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6_A50pu0_Y
Top-20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Chicago_Marathon
http://www.runnersworld.com/chicago-marathon/30-years-ago-steve-jones-transformed-the-marathon
Past winners: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_of_the_Chicago_Marathon
https://tonireavis.com/2015/11/27/such-are-the-memories-of-sport/
