This Day in Track & Field, September 4, Marty Liquori sets 5000m AR (1977), by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  ([email protected])

This Day in Track & Field–September 4

1942–Gunder Hägg regained sole possession of the World Record in the Mile by running 4:04.6 in Stockholm. He had shared the previous mark of 4:06.2 with fellow Swede Arne Andersson.

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

Tribute to Hagg: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/a-tribute-to-the-career-of-gunder-hagg

http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=235

1949—Hungary’s Imre Németh, the 1948 Olympic gold medalist, improved his World Record in the Hammer to              195-5 (59.57) in Katowice, Poland. His previous mark of 193-8 (59.02) was set the year before and he would set  his 3^rd WR of 196-5 (59.88) in 1950.

His son Miklós was the 1976 Olympic gold medalist and former World Record holder in the Javelin

September 4^th turned out to be a good date for setting records in this event (see below).

WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_hammer_throw_world_record_progression

1965—Hungary’s Gyula Zsivótzky threw 241-11 (73.74) in Debrecen, Hungary, to set a World Record in the Hammer. His throw ended Hal Connolly’s 9-year reign as the record holder in the event. Connolly set the first of his six records in 1956 (224-10 [68.54]), and his last (233-9 [71.26]) less than three months before Zsivótzky’s big throw.

Zsivótzky won Olympic silver in 1960 and 1964 before winning gold in Mexico City in 1968. He would set his 2^nd World Record of 242-0 (73.76) in 1968.

https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/olympic-champion-zsivotzky-passes-away

1971—West Germany’s Walter Schmidt threw the Hammer  250-8 (76.40) in Lahr, Germany, to break the World Record of 247-8(75.48), which was set by the Soviet Union’s Anatoliy Bondarchuk in 1969.

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_hammer_throw_world_record_progression

1972–Valeriy Borzov, winner of the 100, completed the sprint double at the Munich Olympics by taking the gold medal in the 200-meters (20.00). Larry Black, who drew lane one in the blind selection process, finished 2nd in 20.19, and Italy’s Pietro Mennea was 3^rd in 20.30. Mennea would win the gold medal 8 years later in Moscow. 4^th in his first year in the sport was American Larry Burton (20.37), who went on to play in the NFL for five years…