Walt Murphy is likely one of the most interesting observe geeks that I do know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, a wonderful day by 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 the whole day by day service. We’ll put up just a few 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 Observe & Discipline–October 15
1960–The Soviet Union’s Pyotr Bolotnikov ran 28:18.8 in Kiev to smash the earlier World Report of 28:30.4, which was set by the nice Vladimir Kuts in 1956.
WR Development: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Males’s_10,000_metres_world_record_progression
www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=92
1964–The ultimate of the Males’s 100-meters on the 1964 Olympics was preceded by the beginning of the 20-kilometer stroll, with the walkers circling the cinder observe 3 times, principally in lane one, earlier than leaving the stadium. And “Bullet” Bob Hayes, regardless that he had gained all three of his preliminary races, was assigned to lane one below the random draw system utilized in these days. Employees did their finest to clean out the lane earlier than the ultimate, however, as Hayes would say after the race, “…it felt somewhat mushy”.
Irrespective of–Hayes was so dominating that quicksand in all probability wouldn’t have stopped him from profitable the gold medal. For the primary time in Olympic historical past, 8 males had been within the remaining (6 was the norm previous to 1964), and the powerfully constructed Hayes ran away from all the different finalists, profitable in 10.0 to equal the World Report. Auto-times had been out there and his .19s margin of victory over Cuba’s Enrique Figuerola (10.06-10.25) continues to be one of many largest in Olympic historical past. Profitable the bronze medal was Canada’s Harry Jerome (10.2/10.27).
And Hayes, who died in 2002 resulting from kidney failure, did it in borrowed footwear! As former St.John’s star Tom Farrell, who would win a bronze medal within the 800-meters 4 years later in Mexico Metropolis, says about his “declare to fame”:
”I used to be warming up for my semi-final within the 800 (Farrell would end fifth within the remaining) when Ed Harm (Coach from Morgan State and one of many workforce’s dash coaches) and Bob Hayes got here to me and requested what measurement footwear did I put on. I assumed this was an uncommon query as I used to be nervous in addition to excited for my upcoming race. So I informed them 8 1/2. Bob mentioned it was the identical measurement he wears. He requested if he might borrow them for his 100M semi-final and remaining races. I requested him the place are his spikes and he mentioned he had two lefts and was in an actual bind. On the time within the Olympic Village there have been solely 2 shoe corporations–Adidas and Puma–and you can get as many pairs of footwear as you needed– I all the time carried an additional pair–simply in case. So I gave Bob my different pair of Tokyo 64s from Adidas–you could keep in mind they had been blue suede footwear and really reversed Kangaroo pores and skin.”
“I assumed this was all somewhat odd since this was crucial race of Bob Hayes’s profession. At stake was a gold medal and the world’s quickest human title. A gold medal would improve his negotiating energy with the Dallas Cowboys and right here he was with 2 left footwear! I used to be glad I might assist out. Had I had just one pair–Bob would have needed to run in flats. I might not give him my solely pair.”
“I discovered someday later that future boxing nice Joe Frazier (who additionally gained a gold medal in Tokyo) performed a sensible joke by switching Bob’s footwear earlier than he left for the observe–some joke!!!”
“A couple of days later my father despatched me a clipping from the New York Occasions which learn: ‘Farrell’s footwear win gold medal, too unhealthy Farrell wasn’t in them’.”
Hayes, who would run an awesome anchor leg within the 4×100 relay on the ultimate day of competitors, went on to have an All-Professional profession with the Dallas Cowboys and is the one athlete to have gained an Olympic gold medal and a Tremendous Bowl ring.
Whereas it was an awesome day for Hayes, it was not so nice for yours really. Since digicam gear was comparatively cheap in Japan on the time, I purchased an 8mm film digicam the day earlier than. The salesperson kindly loaded the primary roll of movie for me and I excitedly began capturing every thing that moved on the observe. Alas, once I opened the digicam to insert a brand new roll, I found to my horror that the movie was all in a jumble inside–the salesperson hadn’t loaded it correctly! So, no lasting photos of Hayes’ nice run. Once I introduced the digicam again to the purpose of buy, the salesperson was beside himself with regret, however set me up correctly this time in order that I might report the remainder of the Video games.
Hayes wasn’t the one future Corridor of Famer displaying his abilities on at the present time. Al Oerter as soon as once more confirmed his aggressive toughness by overcoming accidents to win the third of his eventual 4 gold medals within the Males’s Discus. Competing at instances with a neck brace he used to ease a cervical disk harm, and with a taped rib cage that had medical doctors advising him to withdraw, Oerter was in a lot ache he determined his fifth throw could be his final. In dramatic style, he got here from behind with an Olympic Report throw of 200-1 ½ (61.00m) to win over Czech Ludvik Daněk (198-7 [60.52]), who had taken away Oerter’s World Report earlier within the season. third was American Dave Weill (195-2 [59.49]).
Stated Oerter about competing in ache, “These are the Olympics. You die for them.”
A lot has been written about Oerter by no means being the favourite when he gained his gold medals, however he was the consensus choose of T&F Information’s skilled panel prior to those Video games.
Jay Silvester (193-10 [59.09]), who acquired bumped from the bronze medal place by Oerter’s profitable throw, nearly didn’t make it to the ultimate. Strolling in the direction of the infield via a tunnel below the stadium, he was knocked unconscious after hitting his head on a concrete beam, however rapidly recovered. Years later, Oerter, who was behind Sylvester when he hit his head, mentioned (with a smile), “My first thought as I stepped over Jay was, ‘One much less man to fret about’”.
Romania’s Iolanda Balas, the World Report holder within the occasion, set an Olympic Report of 6-2 ¾ (1.90) whereas profitable her 2nd gold medal within the Ladies’s Excessive Bounce. Profitable silver and bronze had been Australia’s Michelle Brown (5-10 ¾ [1.80]) and the Soviet Union’s (and Russia’s) Taisiya Chenchik (5-10[1.78]).
George Younger ran 8:34.2 within the first spherical of the Steeplechase to interrupt his personal American report of 8:35.0—he would end fifth within the remaining two days later.
The medalists within the Males’s 20k-Stroll had been Nice Britain’s Ken Matthews (1:29:34.0/OR), Germany’s Dieter Lindner (1:31:13.2), and the Soviet Union’s (and Ukraine’s) Vladimir Golubnichiy (1:31:59.4). Ending sixth (he was nineteenth 4 years earlier in Rome) was Ron Zinn, who died the next 12 months throughout a battle in Vietnam. The Capt. Ronald Zinn Memorial awards at the moment are introduced annually to the main racewalkers and officers of the occasion on the annual USATF conference.
Zinn was posthumously promoted to captain and is buried within the West Level cemetery (together with quite a few navy notables, George Custer amongst them.) The USA Olympic protect adorns his tombstone.
Medalists/Outcomes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics
Olympedia Studies: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/16/sports activities/ATH
http://www.virtualwall.org/dz/ZinnRL01a.htm
https://www.usatf.org/disciplines/race-walking/race-walking-awards
Oerter(1963 SI Function): https://vault.si.com/vault/1963/06/17/a-big-shy-man-who-likes-to-think
Hayes Hyperlinks
Corridor of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/bob-hayes
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/gamers/H/HayeBo00.htm
Movies
M100: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztRL-QMI1NY
DT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpeUbj4Wpf0
1968–4 years to the day after profitable his third Olympic title in Tokyo, Al Oerter cemented his place as a sporting legend by profitable his 4th gold medal within the Males’s Discus in Mexico Metropolis, turning into the primary t&f athlete in Olympic historical past to win the identical occasion 4 instances (Carl Lewis would later win 4 golds within the Lengthy Bounce). Few gave Oerter an opportunity this time, since Jay Silvester had set a World Report of 224-5 (68.40m) the earlier month, a distance that was 17-feet longer than Oerter’s finest.
However Oerter was the consummate competitor, particularly on the Olympics. He took the lead for good within the third spherical with a throw of 212-6 ½ (64.78m), an Olympic Report and a private finest by greater than 5 ft! A disheartened Silvester couldn’t enhance on his 2nd-round throw of 202-8 (61.78) and needed to accept fifth place. Profitable the silver and bronze medals had been East Germany’s Lothar Milde (206-11 [63.08) and Czech Ludvík Daněk (206-5 [62.92]). Daněk, the silver medalist in 1964, would full his Olympic set of medals by profitable gold in Munich in 1972.
My brother Pete, who was attending his first Olympics, picked Oerter to win within the day by day T&F Information prediction contest. Being the “skilled” I assumed I used to be, I scoffed on the thought, however my brother gained a transistor radio for making the right choose and he typically jogged my memory who the actual skilled within the household was!
Oerter, who handed away in 2007, “retired” in 1969, however returned to the U.S. top-10 rankings in 1977, completed 4th on the 1980 boycott Olympic Trials, threw a private better of 227-11 (69.46m) that very same 12 months when he was 43, and made his remaining look within the U.S. Rankings in 1983 on the age of 46!
RELATED OERTER LINKS:
Overcoming Adversity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qVnLK2olmo
ESPN: http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/options/00016388.html
BBC: http://information.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hello/olympics2000/bbc_team/890517.stm
https://vault.si.com/vault/1977/04/25/his-past-is-slipping-into-the-future
4 Golds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK_rWwQfjWo
Images: http://tinyurl.com/OerterPhotos
NY Occasions Obituary (by Frank Litsky):
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/sports activities/othersports/01cnd-oerter.html
Wyomia Tyus, who had gained in Tokyo in 1964, turned the primary Olympian (man or lady) to win successive 100-meter titles. Tyus, considered one of Ed Temple’s Tennessee State Tigerbelles, set a World Report of 11.0 (11.08) to beat American teammate Barbara Ferrell and Poland’s Irena Szewińska, each of whom ran 11.1 (11.15-11.19). The long-striding Szewinska caught 17-year outdated Raelene Boyle (11.1/11.20) of Australia proper earlier than the end to win the bronze medal. Boyle would win the silver medal within the 200 later within the week and would win silver in each sprints 4 years later in Munich!
Tyus went via her normal pre-race ritual of doing the “Tighten Up”, a dance made well-liked by the group Archie Bell and the Drells, which had a success track of the identical identify earlier within the 12 months! (Verify the Australian hyperlink beneath for Dwight Stones’s feedback on Tyus and her dancing).
Corridor of Fame Bio(Tyus): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/wyomia-tyus
Nice Britain’s David Hemery, who had gained IC4A and NCAA titles within the 400-meter hurdles earlier within the season whereas competing for Boston College, accomplished his trifecta by profitable the largest title of all, taking the gold medal in Mexico with a World-Report time of 48.1(48.12). The battle for the remaining medals was fierce, with solely .1s separating the following 4 finishers. East Germany’s Gerhard Hennige (49.0/49.02) gained silver and Nice Britain’s John Sherwood (49.0/49.03) the bronze. Lacking out had been American Geoff Vanderstock (49.0/49.07), who was 2nd coming off the ultimate hurdle earlier than slipping again and the Soviet Union’s (and Ukraine’s) Vyacheslav Skomorokhov (49.1/49.12). An in depth 6th was the twond American, Ron Whitney (49.2/49.27). Vanderstock had set the earlier World Report of 48.8 on the U.S. Trials.
One other World Report was tied within the Males’s 800, with Australia’s Ralph Doubell profitable the gold medal in 1:44.3 (1:44.40).Kenya’s Wilson Kiprugut (1:44.5/1:44.57), the bronze medalist in 1964, gained the silver medal, and St.John’s alum Tom Farrell (1:45.4/1:45.46) , 5th with 200-meters to go, held off Germany’s Walter Adams (1:45.8) to win the bronze. Kiprugut held the lead all through the race till being handed by Doubell 50-meters from the end line.
Medalists/Outcomes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics
Olympedia Studies: http://www.olympedia.org/editions/17/sports activities/ATH
Associated Hyperlink(Hemery–50 Beautiful Olympic Moments):
WR Progressions:
W100: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies’s_100_metres_world_record_progression
M800: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_metres_world_record_progression
M400h: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Males’s_400_metres_hurdles_world_record_progression
Movies
W100: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2TOQU2T338
From an Australian Perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn3hMAvOYfQ
M400h: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59L3GeA2_2w
M800(w/Feedback by Doubell): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-cOsTZUjlE
Oerter and his 4 gold medals(on the NYAC)
1975–Brazil’s João de Oliveira, making the most of the pleasant altitude of Mexico Metropolis, jumped 58-8 ½ (17.89m) on the Pan-American Video games to smash the World Report of 57-2 ¾ (17.44m), set by Viktor Saneyev in 1972. Runnerup Tommy Haynes set an American report of 56-5 ¼ (17.20).
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzYhDlbsLgM
WR Development: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_jump_world_record_progression
