This Day in Track & Field, June 14, Morgan Taylor sets WR at 400m hurdles (1924), Asafa Powell breaks WR (1997), HJ showdown at adidas Track Classic (2014)! by Walt Murphy

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

This Day in Track & Field–June 14

1924–Morgan Taylor bettered the World Record  in the 400-Meter Hurdles on consecutive days at the U.S. Men’s Olympic Trials at Harvard. He ran 53.0 in his heat (6-13), then, despite a driving rain, bettered that with his winning time of 52.6 in the final (6-14). Both marks were accepted as American Records, but were never ratified as World Records.

Hall-of-Famer Taylor would again better the existing World Record when he ran 52.6 to win Olympic gold later in the year, but that mark was also rejected by the IAAF, since he knocked over a hurdle during the race (the rule in effect at the time).

Taylor won two more Olympic medals in the event–bronze in 1928 and 1932.

Results/Notes: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/1924.pdf

Hall of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/frederick-morgan-taylor

1924 Olympic Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHySVa3LWzk

#1 Hurdler of the 1920s?: http://www.nuts.org.uk/trackstats/morgantaylor.htm

1952–Great Britain’s Jim Peters set a World Record of 2:20:42.2 to win the Polytechnic/AAA Marathon on the famous Chiswick-Windsor course that ended in West London.

The course was first used in 1909, a year after the now-standard marathon distance of 26-miles, 385 yards, had been established at the London Olympics. 8 World Records were set on the course from 1909-1965, including two more by Peters and one by American Buddy Edelen.

WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_world_record_progression

BIO:  http://www.stfinbarrsac.com/?p=1807    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytechnic_Marathon

1952—Lots of past and future stars, many of whom would enjoy success at the Helsinki Olympics later in the year, were in action at the NCAA Championships in Berkeley, California (6-13,14).

USC’s Jack Davis (14.0) won the 110-Meter Hurdles over Stanford’s Bob Mathias (14.2). It was the 3^rd win in a row for Davis, who won the imperial version of the hurdles in ’50 and ’51. He would win the first of his two Olympic silver medals in Helsinki later in the season. Mathias, the winner of the Decathlon at the 1948 Olympics, would win a 2^nd gold in Helsinki.

USC Junior Parry O’Brien won the first of his two Shot Put titles with a Meet Record toss of 57-1/2…