This Day in Track & Field, Cross Country-March 20, Doris Brown Heritage wins 5th World Cross Country (1971), US Junior Men win 4th World Cross Country (1977), by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service

This Day in Track & Field/X-Country–March 20

1969–Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila, the winner of the Marathon at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics, was involved in an automobile accident that caused a cervical spine injury (neck) that left him paralyzed from the neck down. His injuries ultimately led to his death in 1973.

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/26/archives/abebe-bikila-46-track-star-dies-only-man-to-win-olympic-marathon.html

Photos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abebe_Bikila

1971–Doris Brown (Heritage) won her 5th (and final) World (International) X-Country title (2.8-miles) in San Sebastian, Spain, leading the U.S. women to a 3^rd-place finish. Winners of the Men’s Senior (7.5-miles) and Junior (4.35-miles) races, respectively, were England’s Dave Bedford and Nick Rose, a future NCAA Champion (1974/Western Kentucky). England swept all 3 team titles. (The U.S. only entered Women’s team!)

Other notable finishers

Senior Men: 9.Ian Stewart (Scotland), 10.Rod Dixon (New Zealand), 12.Gaston Roelants (Belgium); DNF-Emiel Puttemans (Belgium).

Junior Men:18.Eamonn Coghlan (Ireland/destined to become the “Chairman of the Boards”), 24.Neil Cusack (Ireland/1972 NCAA Champion-East Tennessee/winner of the 1974 Boston Marathon)

Women: 11.Beth Bonner (USA/Unofficially the 1^st female “winner” of the NY City Marathon-1971)

Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_International_Cross_Country_Championships

1971—Running in a quad meet on his home track in Eugene, Oregon sophomore Steve Prefontaine won the 2-mile in 8:33.2 to equal the Collegiate (and Oregon school) Record that was set by Knut Kvalheim in 1968. Following the instructions of coach Bill Dellinger, Pre gave new meaning to the phrase “negative-split”. coasting through the first half of the race in 4:28.0 before coming home with a 4:05.2 final mile!

From T&F News

1977–Top-10 finishes from winner Thom Hunt and Mark Spilsbury (5th) led the U.S. to a narrow win over Spain (36-40) at the World X-C Championships in Brussels, giving the Americans their 4th straight title in the Men’s Junior Race. Other U.S. team members–Marty Froelick (12th), Chris Fox (18th), who would coach Syracuse to the 2015 NCAA XC title, Harold Schulz (33rd), and Jeff Creer(34th).

Sue Kinsey’s 8^th-place finish helped the USA win the silver medals in the Women’s race.

Other Races:

Senior Men (12.3k/Belgium)-1.Leon Schots (Belgium) 37:43, 2.Carlos Lopes (Portugal)…