Walt Murphy is likely one of the best observe geeks that I do know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, a superb each day service that gives true geek tales about our sport. You may take a look at the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (e-mail: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for your complete each day service. We’ll publish a couple of historic moments every day, starting February 1, 2024.
by Walt Murphy’s Information and Outcomes Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission
This Day in Monitor & Discipline–October 16
1938—After officers used burning gasoline to dry a rain-soaked runway, Finland’s Yrjö Nikkanen, the silver medalist on the 1936 Olympics, threw the Javelin 258-2 (78.70) at his Nationwide Championships in Kotka to interrupt his personal World File of 255-5 (77.87). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YrjpercentC3percentB6_Nikkanen
1964—New Zealand’s Peter Snell was a relative unknown when he gained the 800-meters 4 years earlier on the Rome Olympics, however he had since turn into the dominant middle-distance runner on this planet. So it was no shock this time when he labored his means out of a field on the ultimate lap, took the lead with 200-meters to go, and pulled away to efficiently defend his title in Tokyo within the Olympic File time of 1:45.1. 2nd was Canada’s Invoice Crothers (1:45.6), whereas Kenya’s Wilson Kiprugut edged Jamaica’s George Kerr to win the bronze medal (1:45.9 for each). Individuals Tom Farrell (1:46.6) and Jerry Siebert (1:47.0) completed 5-6.
Snell, who was the flag-bearer for New Zealand within the Opening Ceremony, would win his 2nd gold of the Video games 5 days later within the 1500-meters.
Farrell, who was about to enter his senior yr at St.John’s, had earlier gained IC4A and NCAA titles within the spring. He would win a second NCAA title in 1965 (and Olympic bronze in 1968—see beneath) and sometimes served as a volunteer coach at his alma mater in recent times. His brother Peter was Princeton’s long-time head girls’s coach earlier than retiring after the 2016 season.
Rex Cawley (49.6), who had set a World File of 49.1 on the U.S. Trials, gained the gold medal within the Males’s 400-meter hurdles over Nice Britain’s John Cooper and Italy’s Salvatore Morale, each of whom ran 50.1. Former Yale star Jay Luck missed out on a possible medal when he hit the tenth hurdle and wound up in 5th place (50.5).
Wyomia Tyus (11.4 [11.49]) gained the primary of her two Olympic titles within the Girls’s 100-Meters, with teammate Edith McGuire (11.6 [11.62]) profitable the silver medal. Poland’s Ewa Kłobukowska (11.6 [11.64]) gained the bronze.
Regardless of knee surgical procedure in August, Poland’s Józef Schmidt recovered in time to win his 2nd straight Olympic title within the Males’s Triple Bounce. He took the lead for good along with his 2nd-round bounce of 54-7 ½ (16.65) and completed off his day by setting an Olympic File of 55-3 ½ (16.85) on his remaining bounce. Profitable silver and bronze have been the Soviet (and Russian) pair of Oleg Fedoseyev (54-4 ¾ [16.58]) and Viktor Kravchenko (54-4 ½ [16.57]). American File holder Ira Davis, thought-about a possible medalist, didn’t make the ultimate.
The Soviet Union’s (and Russia’s) Yelena Gorchakova set a World File of 204-9 (62.40) within the morning’s qualifying spherical of the Girls’s Javelin however completed 3rd (187-2 [57.06]) within the remaining behind 17-year previous Mihaela Peneș (198-7 [60.54]) of Romania and Hungary’s Márta Rudas (191-2 [58.27]).
The Japanese orchestra contained in the stadium had been taking part in shortened variations of some nationwide anthems through the awards ceremonies. However once they ended their tackle the Star Spangled Banner after an American win, two skilled trumpeters within the stands, Uan Rasey and Manny Klein, each Monitor and Discipline Information Olympic Tour members, completed the U.S. anthem as the group remained at consideration! (From Sports activities Illustrated: “By Friday, somebody had recognized the new horn within the stands that had been making use of the ending kick to the truncated Japanese model of The Star-Spangled Banner performed after every American victory. Gallantly choosing up on the downbeat facet of “so gal-lant-ly streaming” along with his solo trumpet was Uan Rasey, the lead horn for the M-G-M studio orchestra and a globe-trotting observe nut. Rasey stationed himself just under the torch at Nationwide Stadium to blow his horn, presumably to get most vary for “And the rockets’ purple glare….” He was later joined by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats, who have been showing at a Tokyo nightclub and have been equally involved that Francis Scott Key was not being totally and internationally appreciated.”)
Rasey was well-known in Hollywood as a featured performer on the soundtrack of such films as Chinatown and American in Paris.
Being the avid observe fan that he was, he informed MGM once they have been making an attempt to signal him to a contract, “I wish to have it listed [in my contract] that I wish to go to the Olympics in ’52, and I don’t wish to work on Saturdays[so he could go to meets!]… Should you write that down, I’ll come out…” They capitulated, and he joined the distinguished orchestra in 1949, simply in time to take part in MGM’s golden age of musicals. (From Leonard Maltin’s interview—see hyperlink).
Medalists/Outcomes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics
Olympia Experiences: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/16/sports activities/ATH
Snell Characteristic(800/1500): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK0woLEtQQA
Tyus Characteristic(1964/1968): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYOlBq0dMEc
Farrell Interview(2013): http://tinyurl.com/TomFarrell2013
Uan Rasey(Leonard Maltin Interview)
Cawley: http://michtrack.org/michtrack/history-cawley-tokyo.html
1965—In a rematch of kinds between the primary figures within the 1964 Olympic 10,000-meters, Morocco’s Mohammed Gammoudi, the bronze medalist in Tokyo the earlier yr, was a winner (14:40.6) in a tactical 5000 meters on the Worldwide Video games in Mexico Metropolis over a subject that included Australia’s Ron Clarke (2nd/14:41.8) and American Billy Mills(5th), the respective Olympic silver and gold medalists. (From T&F Information)
1968–The Males’s 200-Meters on the Mexico Metropolis Olympics was a memorable race, with Tommie Smith, one of many best all-around sprinters in historical past, overtaking teammate John Carlos to win the gold medal and setting a World File of 19.8 (19.83). Carlos (20.0 [20.10]), seeking to his left as Smith handed him, failed to note Australian Peter Norman (20.0 [20.06]) slipping by on his proper to seize the silver medal.
However the race turned a mere footnote after the 2 sprinters engaged of their well-known raised-fist protest on the victory stand. Please have a look at the hyperlinks beneath to study extra in regards to the occasions main as much as the incident and its aftermath. Many extra hyperlinks could be discovered by Googling “Tommie Smith,” “John Carlos,” or “Olympic Challenge for Human Rights”.
Smith and Carlos, who competed for San Jose State, have been honored by the varsity when a statue commemorating their protest was unveiled in 2005. In addition they served as pallbearers at Peter Norman’s funeral in 2006. Norman had supported their protest by sporting an OPHR button on the victory stand.
Greater than 50 years after being ostracized by U.S. officers, Smith and Carlos have been inducted into the U.S. Olympic Corridor of Fame in 2019.
“It sends the message that possibly we had to return in time and make aware selections about whether or not we have been proper or unsuitable,” Carlos mentioned, in accordance with USA At this time. “They’ve come to the conclusion that, ‘Hey man, we have been unsuitable. We have been off-base by way of humanity relative to the human rights period.’”
https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2019/09/23/tommie-smith-john-carlos-us-olympic-hall-of-fame/
Statue: http://www.sjsu.edu/information/news_detail.jsp?id=1426
https://www.sanjose.org/attraction/olympic-black-power-statue
NY Instances: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports activities/year_in_sports/10.16a.html
Carlos Corridor of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/john-carlos
Silent Gesture(Smith’s Autobiography):
https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Gesture-Autobiography-Tommie-Sporting/dp/1592136400
The John Carlos Story: https://www.roamagency.com/9781608462247/
E book Overview by Neil Amdur: http://tinyurl.com/AmdurReview
https://www.usatf.org/information/2021/activist-and-1968-olympic-champion-tommie-smith-th
Belated Reward(Norman)
Civil Disobedience: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mm-mexicocity.html
A Look Again(Feedback by Carlos/Norman): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ7Sk6b_2go
The 200 wasn’t the one remaining on this present day.
American Bob Seagren, the favourite, gained the Pole Vault on fewer misses over West Germany’s Claus Schiprowski and East Germany’s Wolfgang Nordwig, as all three cleared 17-8 ½ (5.40). American John Pennell cleared 17-8 ½ on his 2nd try however missed out on profitable the bronze medal when his pole handed underneath the bar, negating the bounce underneath the rule in impact on the time (the rule was modified the next yr).
It was a fierce battle for the medals within the Steeplechase. Amos Biwott (8:51.0 [8:51.02]), whose footwear by no means obtained moist as he soared over the water bounce on every lap, sprinted from 4th to 1st off the ultimate hurdle to seize the gold medal. Fellow Kenyan Benjamin Kogo (8:51.6 [8:51.56]) gained silver, and American George Younger (8:51.8 [8:51.86]), one of many pre-Video games favorites, edged Australia’s Kerry O’Brien (8:52.0 [8:52.08]) for the bronze. It stays one of many closest finishes within the occasion in Olympic historical past.
The race marked the start of Kenya’s dominance within the occasion. Kenyans would win eleven Olympic gold medals from 1968 via 2016. The one instances they didn’t win have been in 1976 and 1980 when Kenya boycotted the Video games! They swept all three medals in 1992 and 2004 and completed 1-2 in 5 different Video games (via 2016). They gained gold and bronze in Beijing (2008) and London (2012).
Kenyan-born athletes additionally gained the gold medal at 15 consecutive World Championships (via 2019; the streak resulted in 2022). (Kenyan Stephen Cherono, working as Saif Saeed Shaheen, represented his adopted nation of Qatar when he gained on the 2003 and 2005 Worlds.
France’s Colette Besson, nearly unknown earlier than the beginning of the season, got here from 5th to 1st within the homestretch, profitable the Girls’s 400-Meters over favored Lillian Board (52.1/52.12) of Nice Britain. Besson’s profitable time of 52.0 (52.03) equaled the Olympic File set by Australia’s Betty Cuthbert in 1964, the primary occasion held for girls on the Olympics. Ending 3rd was the Soviet Union’s (and Russia’s) Natalya Pechonkina (52.2/52.25). American Jarvis Scott (52.7/52.79), the chief coming off the ultimate flip, slipped again to sixth.
The Soviet Union’s (and Latvia’s) Jānis Lūsis gained the Males’s Javelin along with his remaining throw of 295-7 (90.10/OR). Profitable the silver medal was Finland’s Jorma Kinnunen, who additionally saved his greatest for the final (290-7 [88.58]), and the bronze went to Hungary’s Gergely Kulcsár, who had the lead heading into the ultimate spherical (285-7[87.06}.
The medalists within the Pentathlon have been West Germany’s Ingrid Becker (5098), Austria’s Liese Prokop (4966), and Hungary’s Annamária Tóth (4959).
Giving a glimpse of what would occur within the subsequent day’s remaining, Italy’s Giuseppe Gentile set a World File of
56-1 ¼ (17.10) within the Triple Bounce qualifying spherical. (The WR could be altered 4 instances within the remaining!)
Medalists/Outcomes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics
Olympia Experiences: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/17/sports activities/ATH
Movies
M200: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWI9raEM1-4
MPV&SC(protection begins on the 6:00 mark): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LPQSvw1m4
W400: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A3ryJX4aFc
1975—16-year-old Chandra Cheeseborough gained the Girls’s 200-meter on the Pan-American Video games in Mexico Metropolis, working 22.77 to set a U.S. Excessive College File (Ribault H.S.-Jacksonville, FL) and an American File.
Cheeseborough would win 3 medals on the 1984 Olympics (silver within the 400, gold in each relays) and has been the coach at Tennessee State, her alma mater, since 1994.
Nationwide Corridor of Fame: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/chandra-cheeseborough
Nationwide H.S. Corridor of Fame: http://nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org/showcase/chandra-cheeseborough/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/09/sports activities/track-and-field.html
2022—Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana, the 2016 Olympic Champion (and former World File holder) at 10,000 meters, gained the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:17:20, the quickest debut efficiency in historical past. Ending 2nd in 2:18:05 was one other debutant from Ethiopia, Genzeba Dibaba, the World File holder at 1500 meters (on the time).
“I’ve no phrases for this. That is very particular, and I’m thrilled,” mentioned Ayana. “It was very powerful after my Olympic title 2016 with accidents and ache. I’m grateful to my husband, son, and administration for all of the assist.”
https://worldathletics.org/information/report/amsterdam-marathon-2022-ayana-getachew