Walt Murphy is one of the finest track geeks that I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, an excellent daily service that provides true geek stories about our sport. You can check out the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (email: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.
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By Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission.
This Day in Track & Field–April 17
1937—Alton Terry (Hardin-Simmons), the 1936 NCAA Champion in the event (he was 6th at the Berlin Olympics), threw 229-2 ¼ (69.85) at the Kansas Relays to set his 3rd American Record in the Javelin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Terry
1948–Two World Records were set at the Kansas Relays. Michigan’s Charles Fonville broke the 58’ barrier in the shot put with his winning toss of 58-3/8 (17.68) and Harrison Dillard ran 13.6 to set a new mark in the 120-yard hurdles (also bettered the metric record).
Fonville, who had raised the World Indoor Record twice in February (56-6 ¼ [17.23m], 56-10 5/8 [17.34]), won his 2nd NCAA title later in the year, but missed a chance for Olympic gold when a back injury held him to a disappointing 4th-place finish at the U.S. Trials.
Dillard had his own problems at the Trials when he failed to finish in his specialty, the 110-hurdles. However, he had earlier made the team by finishing 3rd in the 100-meters and went on to a surprising win in that event at the London Olympics.
Fonville: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Fonville
1972–New York’s Nina Kuscsik became the first official female winner at the Boston Marathon (3:10:26). Previous winners Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb (1966-1968) and Sara Mae Berman (1969-1971) ran without race bib numbers. Kuscsik was inspired to start running at the age of 15 after hearing about Roger Bannister becoming the first man to break 4-minutes for the mile in 1954.
Gibb: http://www.runningpast.com/gibb_story.htm
http://blog.oregonlive.com/runoregon/2009/05/run_like_a_girl_a_documentary.html
1976—Future Hall-of-Famer Steve Williams set an American Record of 19.9 for 200-meters in Gainesville, Florida.
HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/steve-williams
1978–Two milestones at the Boston Marathon–it was the largest field ever as 4,212…
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