This Day in Track & Field, June 8, Abel Kiviat runs first IAAF WR (1912), Helen Stephens sets WR for 100m (1936), by Walt Murphy

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

This Day in Track & Field-June 8

1912–Hall-of-Famer Abel Kiviat set the first recognized World Record (by the IAAF) in the Men’s 1500, running 3:52.8 in front of 20,000 fans at the U.S. Eastern Olympic Trials at Harvard.  Same for Dartmouth’s Marc Wright, who cleared       13-2  ¼ (4.02) in the Pole Vault. Later in the year, Kiviat and Wright went on to win silver medals in their respective events at the Olympics in Stockholm.

While Kiviat’s mark was the first official record for the distance, he had previously lowered the 1500 best twice during the previous two weeks, running 3:59.2 on May 26 to better Great Britain’s Harold Wilson’s mark of 3:59.8, then ran 3:56.8 on June 2.

Willie Kramer, a 3-time U.S. X-Country Champion (1909, 1911, 1912) set American Records for 6-miles (30:43.4) and 10,000-meters (31:43.6).

Kiviat’s HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/abel-kiviat

From the IAAF’s Progression of World Records(order info). http://www.iaaf.org/about-iaaf/publications

WR Progressions:

10,000: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1500_metres_world_record_progression

Pole Vault: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_pole_vault_world_record_progression

Jeff Benjamin on Kiviat: www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2012/05/kiviats_magic_revisited_on_100.html

1929—Ohio State junior George Simpson became the first man to run 9.4 for 100-Yards at the NCAA Championships at Stagg Field  in Chicago. The mark was accepted as a Collegiate Record, but not as an American or World Record, since the starting blocks used hadn’t yet been accepted as a legal piece of equipment. The AAU eventually ratified the time in 1944. (From the Progression of IAAF World Records). Simpson also won the 220y (straight-20.8/MR) to help Ohio State win the team title.

He finished 2^nd in the 100y at the 1928 and 1930 NCAA Championships, and was 2^nd and 1^st, respectively, in the 220y in 1928 and 1930.

Simpson won the silver medal in the 200-meters at the 1932 Olympics after finishing 4^th in the 100

Results: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/1929.pdf

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79045

1936—18-year old Helen Stephens, a senior at Fulton(MO) H.S., ran 11.6 for 100-Meters in Kansas City(MO) to break her 2-year old American Record of 11.9. The multi-talented Stephens, who excelled in many sports, went on to win gold medals at the Berlin Olympics in the 100-Meters and the 4×100 Relay.

Historic…