This day in athletics – January 18
1913 –The featured event in the early stages of the Millrose Games was a car race and this year’s 10 mile handicap winner was Finland’s Hannes Kolehmainen (51:25), who won 3 gold medals at the Stockholm Olympics last year (5,000, 10,000, Cross Country). : The race started in 71St Regimental Armory in Manhattan, then cruised through the city’s streets before Kolehmainen returned for a single lap of the Armory’s 10-lap track, which received a standing ovation from anyone ever present at the facility.
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/01/19/100249509.html?pageNumber=48
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67641
http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-lost-71st-regiment-armory-park.html
1964– Gerry Lindgren, 17, (Rogers, Wa) ran 8:46.0 2 miles ahead of Belgium’s Gaston Roelants (8:41.2) at Los Angeles Inv., breaking his own US high school record of 9:00.0.
The slight Lindgren (5′-5″, 118) didn’t seem to know, or at least didn’t care, that he was running against a field that included Roelants, the world record holder in the sprint, and the veteran George. He raced through the first mile in a very fast 4:21.2 before slipping to 4th.thBehind Roelants, USC’s Julio Marin and Young.
Some observers thought Lindgren would surely go on to pay the price for running so fast. But the precocious Lindgren, who had already set his sights on making the US Olympic team (which he would), gamely hung in there and eventually fought. led Young by 2.th place to the delight of the crowd.
Lindgren’s time of 8:46.0 was also a record for a 17-year-old, besting the 8:49.1 set by Canada’s Bruce Kidd three years ago when Kidd won the 2-mile run at the Massachusetts Knights of Columbus meet time was greeted with as much surprise and crowd-pleasing delight as Lindgren.
Bob Hayes ran 6 flat (6.0) to tie the 60-yard world record (he would tie it twice more in 1964), and American records were set by John Pennell in the pole vault (16-4 ¼ (4.98+) ) and USC’s Mahoney Samuels in the triple jump ( 52-7 (16.02+): Samuels was actually from Jamaica, but Best marks achieved on US soil were then recognized as “American Records”, regardless of the athlete’s nationality.
Sports Illustrated Archive: https://vault.si.com/vault/1964/01/27/the-fastest-boy-in-the-west-challenges-a-champion
Kidd: https://vault.si.com/vault/1961/01/23/how-young-kidd-made-good
1964– Bill McClellon, a sophomore at DeWitt Clinton HS in New City, cleared 6-7 3/4 (2.025?) in the high jump at the Armory at the Cardinal Hayes Games, besting John Thomas’ 6 -year national HS record (6- 7 5/8 (2/02+)).
McClellon stunned the local track crowd when she cleared 6-7 (2.01) a month earlier in the Bishop Loughlin Games “rookie” event restricted to athletes who had yet to win a medal at the school’s varsity meet first prep to clear 7 feet (2.13) in 1965
After McClellon’s performance at the Laughlin games, I would sit in the front row of the Armory balcony, facing the high jump, to make sure I got a close-up look at this rising star in his many matches. My persistence paid off when I saw McClellon, coached by Charlie Sher, break the record 3 more times in his career at the Armory (6-8 (2.03), 6-9 ½ (2.07), 6-10 ¼ (2.09))
1975-Dwight Stones set her 2nd world record in as many days by clearing 7-5 ¼ (2.27m) at the Sunkist meet in Los Angeles.At the same meet, Francie Larrier (Smith) set a world record in the women’s 1000m (2. 40.2): “Franno” retired in 2018 at Georgetown, Texas Div.III After 20 years as head coach at Southwestern University, while Stones maintains his popularity as a broadcaster, both were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.
Hall of Fame Bios
Stones: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/dwight-stones
Larry Smith: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/francine-larrieu-smith
1983-– The IOC reinstated Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals (pentathlon and decathlon victories) 70 years after they were taken from him to pay $25 for semi-pro baseball.
1985– Competing for the first time since his dramatic fall in the 3000 at the 1984 Olympics, Mary Slaney set a world indoor record of 5:34.52 in the 2000 meters at the Sunkist meet in Los Angeles.
Sports Illustrated Vault.
https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/01/28/mary-mary-still-contrary
1985– The World Indoor Games (18-19), a precursor to the IAAF World Indoor Championships, took place in Bercy, France.In the men’s 400m, Germany’s Thomas Schonlebe set a world record of 45.60, while other winners included Diane Dixon. women’s 400 (53.35) and Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka, who beat France’s Thierry Vigneron and won the pole vault ¼10: (5.75m) to 18-8 ¼ (5.70m).
NBC coverage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5r3X06FRxY
Medal winners:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_IAAF_World_Indoor_Games
2019– Bullis School (Potomac, Md) set a US high school record of 3:12.53 in the Virginia Showcase in Lynchburg, Va. The team returned the following day to set a current national best of 1:25.60 in the 4×200 Lowered the 4×400 record to 3:11.87 in 2024.
Compositions
4×200-Ashton Allen, Austin Allen, Andre Turay, Ryan Willey
4×400- Andre Turay 49.4, Ryan Willey 48.5, Jay Pendarvis 48.0, Ashton Allen 46.6
Important birthdays
Born on this day*
Vashti Cunningham 27 (1998) Had a great senior year at Bishop Gorman HS in 2016. Won the US Indoor Championships
Portland high jump title with a prep indoor record of 6-6 ¼ (1.99) (also a junior world record).
Returning to Portland a week later, he won the world indoor title at 6-5 (1.95) (he soon turned pro).
after): the US Olympic team became 2th– the end of the trials. The final came out in Rio, but
graduated at 13th after clearing just 6-2 (1.88).
Has now represented the USA at the last 7 World Outdoor Championships
2016 AND (13:th)
2017 WC (10th)
2019 WC (bronze medalist)
2021 AND (6:th)
2022 WC (qualifying stage)
2023 WC (11:th)
2024 AND (5:th)
He was also a silver medalist at the 2018 World Indoor Championships (gold in 2016).
6-time US champion (2017-2019, 2021-OT, 2022, 2023); 8-time US champion (2016-2020, 2022-
2024);
PB:: 6-7 ½ (2.02/2021/#4 All-Time USA); 6-6 3/4i (2.00/2021-2023/=#3 in US); 2023 SB6-6 3/4 (2.00)
Set US high school outdoor record: 6-5 (1.96) 2015 Set US Junior Outdoor Record: 6-5 ½ (1.97)
in 2016
2015 USA and All-American Junior Champion.
Ranked #7 in the world in 2023, #6 in 2021, #4 in 2019, #5 in 2017 and 2018, #7 in 2016; #1 American. 2017-2019
2021-2023)
He was coached by his father, former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, who was a 6-10 jumper in high school.
Older brother Randall won the 2016 NCAA high jump title (USC)…also won the 2018 NCAA indoor title but was injured
broke in his calf and thigh on his first attempt 7-7 ¼.
(2015) https://www.worldathletics.org/news/feature/vashti-cunningham-usa-high-jump
WikiBio:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vashti_Cunningham
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/132053 (until 2023)
Trials after the 24th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmv9LRf45zA
Courtney Frichs 32 (1993) Tokyo Olympics Silver Medalist in Steelchase
Improved her own American record to 8:57.77 at the 2021 Pre Classic (1St American up to 9 minutes)
Provided one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 World Championships by winning silver
medal behind gold medalist Emma Coburn 6th in 2019 and 2022 world championship
Fell in his heat at the 2023 U.S. Championship. Still qualified for the finals, but didn’t make it to the starting line
was recovering from ankle surgery in December 2022. Raced only once in 2024, 15:01.06i/Feb.9
Post-race interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=3J4CM_x5CSI
2016 NCAA Champion-Cross Country (New Mexico);
2016 US Olympian (11th in Rio);
#2 in the world in 2021, #10-2019, 2018-#6, 2017-#7)
Best finisher (4:th) on the New Mexico NCAA Championship X-Country team in 2015
In January 2024, he announced that he was leaving the Bowerman Track Club after running the last 7.
years with the team.Currently training in North Carolina with coaches Alistair and Amy Craig.
PBs. 2:06.33 (’20), 4:07.39 (’20), 4:35.01 (’23), 8:47.90 (’20), 14:50.06 (’20), 31:23.13 (’20),
8 o’clock:57.77 (2021/#10 All Time World)
2017 toilet: Shocked! Photos: Video (highlights) Complete race
Q&A (January 2024): https://fastwomen.substack.com/p/fast-women-q-and-a-with-courtney?subscribe_prompt=free
Tokyo (includes race highlights)
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/132023
’21 AND report: http://www.olympedia.org/results/19000767
Post-operative: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyfrerichs/p/C0hs3vPPIsC/?img_index=1
Mary Kaytani – Kenya
