The 1968 Mexico Olympics reconsidered, Day Six: Monumental Marks Manifested, by Mike Fanelli

This is the feature series by Mike Fanelli, titled, The 1968 Mexico Olympics, Reconsidered. This is Day six of the series. This feature was reposted on the 54th anniversary of the Mexico Olympics.

October 18, 1968, was an amazing day in Olympic Track & Field. Mike Fanelli writes about it below. The day has several important meanings for me as the editor of RunBlogrun. On a small black and white TV in Bridgeton, Missouri, I recall watching a recap of Bob Beamon’s long jump as my father, brother Brian and I had hotdogs (sauerkraut, mustard, relish) and watched some sports. To this day, the photo of Bob Beamon reacting to his massive jump brings tears to my eyes. I was ten years old, and it was my first reaction to athletics.

I would not meet Lee Evans until 1990, when, thanks to one of my spiritual advisors, Peanut Harms, I was introduced to Lee Evans at a Coaching Clinic. It was also where I met the late Doug Speck. I idolized Lee Evans, and he lived up to my expectations. Lee Evans also coached with Peanut Harms in Nigeria in the 1970s.

Bud Winter, the dean of long sprint coaches, was with my high school coach, Fr. Ray Devlin, S.J., at his retirement in the fall of 1974. Bud Winter took the relaxation techniques he taught American fighter pilots (P-51s and P-47s) on their long trips and used those lessons with his sprinters at San Jose State.

Enjoy Mike’s masterful retelling of Day six of the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

Monumental Marks Manifested…Olympic Friday commenced early and concluded late, as the first 5 events of the decathlon unfolded over a lengthy ten full hours here on day six in Mexico City. The pre-meet dope sheet saw it as a duel between the West German world record holder, Kurt Bendlin (8319), and America’s four-time AAU Champ, Bill Toomey (8222 PB). Right from the gun, the Philadelphia-born ten-eventer, Toomey, took the 100 (10.4). He extended his lead in the next competition, the long jump, in which he set a lifetime best by three inches (25′ 9 3/4″). For Toomey, the 1,953 points he scored after just two events exceeded his best ever…in fact, it was a decathlon record of sorts. Joachim Kirst came up big in the third event while putting the shot 53′ 11″ to Toomey’s somewhat dismal 45′ 1 1/4″…nearly two feet shy of his career best. “This was my most depressing event,” Toomey later said. And rightfully so, as the East German, Kirst, was now in the lead over Toomey by a margin of 83…