Track and field on this day – October 17
1964— The fiberglass rod had made a revolution Pole vault Since the previous Olympics in Rome, that resulted in 13 men clearing 15-5 (4.70) in Tokyo, bettering the previous Olympic record.
American Fred Hansen, who set a world record of 17-3 ¾ (5.28m) in July, was one of four men to clear 16-4 ¾ (5.00m) in their opening attempt. He then cleared 16-6 ¾ (5.05), a height cleared only by West Germany’s Wolfgang Reinhardt. Hansen then stole the gold medal from Reinhardt, clearing 16-8 ¾ (5.10/Olympic record) on her final attempt. Reinhard won the silver medal and team-mate Klaus Lehnerz won the bronze by narrowly missing East Germany’s Manfred Preusger.
Dallas Long (66-8 ½ (20.33)) and Randy Matson (66-3 ¼ (20.20m)) finished the USA 1-2 in the event. Men’s shooting. Completion 4th in his 4thth Games were Parry O’Brien (63-0 (19.20)), Olympic champion in 1952 and 1956 (he won a silver medal in 1960). All 3 are members of the National Hall of Fame. The bronze medal was won by Hungarian Vilmosh Varzhu (63-7 ½ (19.39)).
The USA also finished 1-2 in the tournament Men’s 200 metersHenry Carr (20.3/20.36/Olympic record) edged out Paul Drayton (20.5/20.58). Long-time Penn Relays official Edwin Roberts of Trinidad and Tobago won bronze (20.6/20.63). 4:th Canada’s Harry Jerome (20.7/20.79) was the bronze medalist in the 100 and 5th Italian Livio Beruti (20.8/20.83) was the defending champion.
Irina Press of the Soviet Union won the 5th competition Pentathlona new event in the Olympic program with a world record of 5,246 points. Great Britain’s Mary Binyal-Rand (5035), long jump winner Galina Bystrova (4956) of the Soviet Union (and Azerbaijan) won silver and bronze.
Australia’s golden girl, Betty Cuthbert, became the first Olympic champion Women’s 400 metersrunning 52.01 to beat Great Britain’s Ann Packer (52.2/52.20). 3:th another Australian was Judy Amur (53.4).
Cuthbert won 3 gold medals at the 1956 Olympics (100, 200, 4×100), but was injured in 1960 and until then found athletics to be hard work. By 1964, he had regained his enthusiasm and had a surprisingly emotional reaction to his victory; “In Tokyo, the fact that I had won immediately hit my head. It was wonderful. it was like losing something you love so much and then finding it again. I felt immense gratitude.” (from Promotion of IAAF World Records)
Belgian Gaston Roelants won Hiking (8:30.8-OR) over Maurice Herriot of Great Britain (8:32.4) and Ivan Belyaev of the Soviet Union (and Russia) (8:33.8). American George Young took 5th placeth (8:38.2).
Medal Winners/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics
Olympia reports. http://www.olympedia.org/editions/16/sports/ATH
Cuthbert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Cuthbert
https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame-directory/betty-cuthbert/
Videos:
M200:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdfB8ni1FK0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzI2Y7KoPL8
Hall of Fame Bios
O’Brien (1974 – Charter Member): (Currently not available)
Long (1996): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/dallas-long
Matson (1984). (Currently not available)
Kar (1997): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/henry-carr
1968– East Germany’s Christoph Henne won 50k-Walk (4:20:13.6) between Hungary’s Antal Kiss (4:30:17.0) and America’s Larry Young (4:31:55.4) at the Mexico City Olympics. Future Hall of Famer Young, an accomplished sculptor, repeated the feat four years later at the 1972 Munich Games.
From his website (http://www.youngsculpture.com/)……has installed more than 50 monumental outdoor sculptures nationally and abroad. Most of his work has been in bronze, but he also works in stainless steel, marble and other materials.”
It was almost a sweep in the US 110 meter hurdlesbut Leon Coleman (13.6/13.67) hit 6th obstruct and eliminate 4thbehind Willie Davenport (13.3/13.33), Erv Hall (13.4/13.42) and Italy’s Eddie Otto (13.4/13.46).
Mexico City’s altitude was a major factor Triple jump as the world record has been broken 5 times.
Italy’s Giuseppe Gentile got the ball, jumping 56-1 ¼ (17.10) in qualifying (10-16), surpassing the previous mark of 55-10 ½ (17.03) set by Poland’s Jozef Schmidt in 1960.
In the opening round of the finals, Gentile improved to 56-6 (17.22) to take an early lead. It would be her longest jump, but it would only earn her a bronze medal.
Victor Saneev of the Soviet Union (and Georgia) moved into the lead with his 3th– long jump 56-6 ½ (17.23). Next to break the world record was Brazil’s Nelson Prudencio, who went 56-8 (17.27) on his 5.th to jump Saneev put the finishing touches on this amazing event by becoming the first man to jump further than 57 feet with a final effort of 57-3/4 (17.39). It was Saneev’s first of three Olympic titles.
Four days after winning bronze in the 10,000, Tunisia’s Mohamed Gamoudi (14:05.01) held off Kenya’s Kip Keino (14:05.16) and Naftali Temu (14:06.41) to win the gold medal. 5000 meters. Gamudi won the silver medal in the 10,000 meters at the 1964 Olympics (behind Billy Mills).
Hungarian Gyula Zhivotsky won Hammer throw 240-8 (73.36) with an Olympic record. Silver and bronze were won by Soviet Union (and Belarus) champion Romuald Klim (240-5 (73.28)) and Hungarian Lazar Lovas (228-11 (69.78)).
Medal winners Women’s high jump Czech Milena Rezkova (5-11 ½ (1.82)) and the Soviet pair of Antonina Lazareva (Russia) and Valentina Kozyr (Ukraine), who both cleared 5-10 ¾ (1.80).
Medalists/Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics
Olympia Reports:: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/17/sports/ATH
Hall of Fame Bios
(young): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/larry-young
(Davenport): (currently not available)
Walking Through College (Young/2011):
http://real.columbiacollegealumni.org/2011/05/larry-young-hes-walking-his-way-through.html
1972— Victor Saneev of the Soviet Union (and Georgia) restored the world record in the triple jump with a jump.
57-2 ¾ (17.44) in Sukhum, Finland. Cuba’s Pedro Perez jumped 57-1 (17.40) at the Cali, Colombia high jump in 1971, breaking Saneyev’s previous mark of 57-3/4 (17.39), also set at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. (see above).
WikiBio:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Saneev
2020— Kenya’s Perez Yepchirshir ran 65:16 at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, setting her own women’s-only world record of 65:34.
The men’s race was won by Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who set an event record of 58:49. 4:th compatriot Joshua Cheptegei (59:21) was the new world record holder for the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
The event was initially planned to be held in March, but was postponed due to the epidemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_World_Athletics_Half_Marathon_Championships
