This day in athletics – January 15
1925– Paavo Nurmi, the “Flying Finn”, returned to New York’s Madison Square Garden for the 2nd stop of his US tour and came away with three more world records, although they all came in one race.
After Will “Willie” Ritola was left to set the early pace, Nurmi, dubbed the athlete of the century by the press, delighted the crowd by outpacing most of the field and setting records in the 1-3/4 miles (7:55.6), 3,000 meters (8:26.8) and 1-7/8 miles (8:29.0).Joey Ray was the previous record holder in all three distances was. Shortly after the race, Nurmi took a train to Chicago, where she was scheduled to compete the following night, before heading straight back to New York for her 3rd meet in as many days.
1965— Ireland’s John McDonnell won the slow-paced mile in 4:22.5 at the Senior Metropolitan AAU Championships at NY’s 168.th Street arsenal. McDonnell, of course, went on to a Hall of Fame career as a coach at the University of Arkansas.
Other notable winners included Fordham’s Sam Perry in the 60 (6.4) and Oscar Moore Jr. in the 3 mile (14:29.0).
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/16/101522396.html?pageNumber=20
1977– It didn’t get much attention at the time, but Steve Scott, a 20-year-old junior at the University of California, Irvine, broke down.
4 minutes for the first time when he ran 3:59.7 to place 3rd in the mile at the Sunkist Invitational.Finishing ahead of Scott were Paul Cummings (3:59.2) and Wilson Waigwa (3:59.7).
Scott became one of the greatest sprinters in history and ran a total of 136 sub-4 minute miles, the most ever in a Hall of Fame career. He kept the American Indoor Record from 1979 to 2005 and Outdoor mark from 1982 to 2007. Scott retired in 2018 as the head coach of Cal-State San Marcos, which won three straight NAIA Women’s X-Country titles from 2009-2011.
Hall of Fame Biography: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/steve-scott
Steve Scott-Miller/Biography of Mark Bloom
http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Scott-Miler-Americas-Legendary/dp/0028616774
CSSM biography: http://www.csusmcougars.com/coaches.aspx?rc=222&path=wcross
1978– Long Island University’s Lorna Ford, a two-time Olympian (1972, 1976) in her native Barbados, set a world record 1:10.5 in the 500m relay at Dartmouth.Ford is a two-time winner of the 440y at the US Indoor Championships and Member of the Penn Relays Wall of Fame.
From 1975 to 1983, was part of a remarkable 21 winning teams for the TC of the Atoms at Penn.
https://pennrelays.com/honors/hall-of-fame/lorna-forde/58
1984– 20-year-old Sergey Bubka, who first rose to international fame when he stormed the field to win gold at last year’s world championships in Helsinki, set his first world record, indoor or outdoor, when he cleared 19-3/. 5.81) in Vilnius. The previous mark of 19-1/4 (5.80m) was set by Billy Olson in 1983.
1986– Bubka set another world record by jumping 19-3 (5.87) in Osaka, Japan.
1987– Bubka returned to Osaka to set another world record of 19-6 ½ (5.96) Two more world marks were set: Ben Johnson ran 6.44 60 meters (later revoked) and Oleg Protsenko won the Triple Jump 57-11 ¾. (17.67 m) jump.
WR progress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_pole_vault_indoor_world_record_progression
2015— Akron’s (and Canadian) Sean Barber joined the 6-meter (19-8 ¼) club at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, NV. Later in the year, he would go on to win the NCAA Indoor (his 2nd).th) and outdoor titles, and he became the world champion in Beijing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawnacy_Barber
2022— Florida’s Jacory Patterson ran 31.99 for the 300 meters at Clemson, breaking his own record of 32.38.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbtnUSW24MQ
2022— Senior Will Sumner (Woodstock, Ga.) ran 1:01.25 in the 500 meters at Virginia Beach to break the US high school indoor record of 1:01.68 set by Strymar Livingston (Columbus, Bronx, N.Y.) in 2012. He would obliterate Another Livingston HS record (1:17:58), when he ran 1:15.58 for 600 meters a week later in Chicago.
The son of former Villanova All-American ½-miler Brad Sumner and Tosha Woodward, Sumner won the 2023 NCAA 800 title as a freshman at Georgia before turning pro.He was injured in 2024 but ran 47.23 for the 400 meters last weekend.
https://georgiadogs.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/Will-Sumner/7110
https://trackandfieldnews.com/2-national-records-for-high-schooler-will-sumner/
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=11088703
https://www.thestridereport.com/post/turning-pro-will-sumner-signs-with-adidas
in 2023— Emily Sisson finished 2ndth Ethiopia’s Hiwot Gebrekidani (1:06:28) in the Houston half marathon and came away with a short American record of 1:06:52 (Kira D’Amato would run 1:06:39 in July). Sisson still holds the US marathon record (2 :18:29/2022).
Important birthdays
Born on this day*
Dylan Armstrong – Canada 44 (1981) 2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist — shooting;
He didn’t get his medal until 2015, after the original 3thPlacer was retroactively disqualified for a doping violation
Double medal winner of the World Championship (2011-silver, 2013-bronze)
All-American at Texas – NCAA: 2001 (Weight Throw-4th, Hammer Throw-5th)th)
Coached 1972 Olympic champion Anatoly Bondarchuk in the hammer throw
Delayed Olympic medal: http://tinyurl.com/ArmstrongOlyMedal
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/117036
2013 Article: https://spikes.worldathletics.org/post/a-shot-at-success
Super trainer: http://tinyurl.com/hwo5tce
WikiBio:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_Armstrong
Mark Carroll – Ireland 53 (1972) 1995 NCAA Indoor Championships Champion – 5000m (Providence/2th outside)
2000 European indoor championship champion — 3000 meters; 2 times Olympian – 5000 m (1St round-2000,2004)
5000 final in 1995 (12th) and in 1999 (14:00th) world championship.
6:00th In the 2002 New York City Marathon
Irish record holder – 3000m (7:30.36), former record holder – 5000m (13:03.93), 10,000m (27:46.82)
Other P:B:s:3:34.91 (2000), 3:50.62 (2000), 3:54.50 (2001), 2:10:54 (2002)
Appointed Boston AA (BAA) senior coach in December 2019. Previously coached
Auburn and Drake
Coached by Jim Harvey for most of his career
https://www.baa.org/mark-carroll-announced-baa-high-performance-coach
https://www.baa.org/baa-coaches
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/87045
2012 article. https://auburntigers.com/news/2012/7/20/Auburn_Olympic_Profile_Mark_Carroll
WikiBio:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Carroll_(athlete)
Barbara Friedrich 76 (1949) 1968 USA Olympian – Javelin (9:th)
1967 Pan American Games Champion
1968 US Champion
1971 AIAW Champion (Newark State/Now Kean)
Set two high school and American records in 1967 while at Manasquan (NJ) HS: 192-11 1/5 (58.81), 198-8
(60.56)
Inducted into the National High School T&F Hall of Fame in 2019
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77834
HOF:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnrLnf7JlxQ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Friedrich
https://twitter.com/njsiaa/status/1241712159232532481
Dead
Dean Smith 91 (1932-February 24, 2023) 1952 Olympic gold medalist — 4×100 (5th in 100); went on to have a successful career as an A
Hollywood stuntman. Appeared in 10 John Wayne movies.
All-American at Texas: NCAA-100y (1952-4)th1954-4th1955-5th)
His memoir, Cowboy Stunt. From Olympic Gold to the Silver Screen”, published in April 2013.
Much more At:: https://onceuponatimeinthevest.blogspot.com/2019/12/v9-n-52-dean-smith-american-gold.html
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79055
Smith and gold medalist Lindy Remigino talk about the 1952 100.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_lPEPV8zcU
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Smith_(athlete)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/us/cowboy-stuntman-dean-smith-writes-a-memoir.html?_r=1&
http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Stuntman-Olympic-Silver-Screen/dp/0896727890
http://deansmithcelebrityrodeo.com/index.html
Tom Burke 54 (1875-February 14,1929) First Olympic gold medalist in 100 and 400 (1896); 3-time US champion
440y (1895-1897); 1896 & 1897 IC4A Champion (Boston College) – 440
1899 IC4A Champion — 880 (Harvard District Student);
Hall of Fame Biography:
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/tom-burke
WikiBio:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Burke_(athlete)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78175
Lou Jones (74/1932-February 3, 2006) 1952 Olympic Games gold medalist — 4×400;
1955 All-American Games Champion – 400m – set world record 45.4 (Mexico City) … lowered record to 45.2 in 1956
US Olympic Trials, but only 5 finishedth in the Olympic final held in Melbourne in November.
Wiki Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Jones_(athlete)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78628
WR progress: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_400_metres_world_record_progression
Obituary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/sports/othersports/08jones.1.html?pagewanted=print
Janusz Kusoczynski-Poland 33 (1907-June 21, 1940) 1932 Olympic gold medalist — 10,000 meters
set two world records in 1932 (3000 meters, 4 miles); PB:30:11.42 (1932)
From OlympiadDuring World War II, Kusoczynski volunteered for the Polish army and was wounded twice.
Due to injuries sustained on his release, he served in the Polish resistance during the German occupation, and he
On March 26, 1940, he was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in Mokotov prison. He was
was executed by the Germans three months later in Palmyra, near Warsaw. Most famous in his honor
The Polish athletics meet is called Kusotsinski Memorial.
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74775
