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.
by Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission
This Day in Track & Field-January 7
1978–With the meet’s namesake cheering from the sidelines, the Muhammad Ali Invitational, held on the spacious 200-meter banked oval in Long Beach, California, produced three world records. Houston McTear might have caught a quick gun, but his 6.54 was accepted as the new standard for 60-meters. The Soviet Union’s Valeriy Borzov (Ukraine) and Germany’s Manfred Kokot had shared the previous mark of 6.58.
Local favorite Mike Tully jumped 18-4 (5.59m) to break Dan Ripley’s 2-year old amateur Pole Vault record of 18-3 ¾ (5.58) (pro Steve Smith had already jumped 18-5 [5.615m?]), and the 3rd global mark went to Herman Frazier, who ran 1:01.3 to break Stan Vinson’s 500-meter record of 1:02.3.
Dick Buerkle, more accustomed to running longer distances, gave a hint of things to come (he would set a world record in the Mile the following week) by setting a fast pace in the 1500-meters (56.5, 1:56.5, 2:56.6) before fading to 3rd (3:40.0) behind Kenya’s Wilson Waigwa (3:38.6) and Paul Cummings, who set an American Record of 3:39.4.
Villanova made the cross-country trip worthwhile as Mark Belger (1:48.7) won the 800 over Kenya’s Mike Boit (1:48.9), and its 4×400 relay, with a lineup of Keith Brown (49.9-had to leap over a fallen runner), Tim Dale (47.3), Derek Harbour(45.8) and Canadian Glen Bogue (46.6), won with a Collegiate Record of 3:09.6. (from Track and Field News).
1990–Competing at the Dartmouth Relays, Lynn Jennings set a World Indoor Record of 15:22.64 for 5000-meters.
WR Progression: http://tf-stats.com/world_indoor_women.php
2017—Quanera Hayes ran 35.71 for 300-meters at Clemson to break Natasha Hastings’ year-old American Record of 36.25. 17-year old H.S. senior Candace Hill finished 2nd in 36.84, but didn’t get credit for a prep record since she had turned pro after the 2015 season,
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