This Day in Track & Field, May 29, Diane Leather becomes first women under five minutes for the mile (1954), by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  (wmurphy25@aol.com)

This Day in Track & Field– May 29

1908–Dartmouth’s Art Shaw set a pre-IAAF World Record of 15.2 in the 120y-hurdles at the IC4A Championships in Philadelphia (also served as an Olympic selection meet). He went on to win the bronze medal in the 110-hurdles later in the year at the London Olympics.

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79024

1920–Competing at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field, Dartmouth’s Earl “Tommy” Thomson won the 120y-hurdles in the World-Record time of 14.4 at the IC4A Championships. Canadian Thomson went on to win the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the Antwerp Olympics later in the year.

In 1921, Thomson won his 2nd IC4A title, was a winner at the first NCAA Championships, and won the 2nd of his three U.S. titles(also won in 1918 and 1922). He went on to coach at West Virginia, Yale, and the Naval Academy, where he stayed for 36 years before retiring in 1963.

Thomson was born in Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, but moved with his family to Southern California when he was 8 years old. He attended Long Beach Poly H.S. before starting his collegiate career with a brief stay at USC before moving on to Dartmouth. He has the unique distinction of being elected to both the U.S. Track and Field and the Canadian Sports Halls of Fame.

Thomson became deaf in his later years, but was able to continue coaching after learning how to lip-read what his athletes were saying. After his stint at the Naval Academy was done, he coached the U.S. Marine Corps team at Camp Pendleton from 1964-1965. One of the Marines that he coached was Billy Mills, who, of course, won the gold medal in the 10,000-Meters at the 1964 Olympics.

One of his biggest rivals during his hurdling career was his brother-in-law, Robert Simpson, who was a charter member of the U.S. Hall of Fame.(Thanks to Elliott Denman).

Thomson: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/earl-thomson

http://www.sportshall.ca/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-search.html?proID=437&catID=all&lang=EN

Simpson: http://oldserver.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=156

1937–Bill Sefton beat USC teammate Earle Meadows, the 1936 Olympic gold medalist, on misses to win the pole vault at 14-11(4.54m) at the Pacific Conference Championships, with both getting credit for a World Record. Known as “The Heavenly Twins”, the duo led Southern Cal to 3 NCAA team titles(1935-1937).  Sefton was 4^th at the 1936 Olympics,

Meadows Hall of Fame…