Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field–February 24
1954—Columbia’s Al Thompson won his 2nd straight IC4A Shot Put title at Madison Square Garden with a toss of
52-10 ¾ (16.12).
After serving as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserves, Thompson graduated from Columbia’s School of Dental and Oral Surgery in 1960 and had tended to the dental needs of many members of the NYC-area T&F community before he retired. And he was one of the few medical professionals in the U.S. to include Track and Field News among the magazines in his waiting room! (Thompson passed away in 2021 at the age of 89)
Finishing 4th in the shot was 6’-5” (1.96) Roosevelt “Rosey” Grier (Penn State), who went on to have an 11-year NFL career as a defensive lineman with the NY Giants and Los Angeles Rams. He is the last surviving member of L.A.’s famous defensive unit, the “Fearsome Foursome“ (The others were Lamar Lundy, Merlin Olsen, and Deacon Jones).
Grier was with his friend Bobby Kennedy when the presidential hopeful was assassinated in 1968, and, along with Decathlon legend Rafer Johnson, helped subdue the shooter, Sirhan Sirhan.
Other meet highlights
Thompson was 3rd in the Weight Throw, Tom Courtney won the 1000y in 2:14.9, John Haines won the 60, Lou Jones beat Bill Persichetty in the 600y 1:12.0-1:13.2
Thompson: http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=205024801
https://gocolumbialions.com/news/2021/2/5/general-columbia-trailblazer-dr-albert-thompson-54cc-60cdm.aspx
Grier: http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-06-2010/where_are_they_now_rosey_grier.html
1962—Jim Beatty, the defending champion, won the Mile at the U.S. Indoor Championships in front of 16,864 fans with a Madison Square Garden Record of 4:00.2. A 45-minute delay to the start of the race might have been enough of a distraction to keep Beatty from breaking his recent World Record of 3:58.9.
Another successful defender was 18-year old Canadian Bruce Kidd, who won the 3-mile in 13:48.8.
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/02/25/113420127.html?pageNumber=188
There was a sub-plot to the mile. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth 1,000 words. However, there are occasions when a picture doesn’t tell the whole story. A prime example was the photo that appeared on the front page of the NY Times sports section the next day (see below). One look at it and you’d swear that Villanova freshman Tom Sullivan had just pulled off the biggest upset of the indoor season by beating Beatty!
Sullivan, who had set a U.S. High School Outdoor record of 4:03.5 in 1961, explains:
“I was put into the mile as a last minute chance for Jumbo (Elliott) to score points for the Nova team (they would win the team title over the NYAC). I had just run a 1000y heat earlier in the evening but fell on the first lap and rolled over, got up and the pack was a good half lap ahead of me. Jumbo always stands at the bottom of the final turn and as I passed, I saw him wildly waving his arms at me. I thought he was yelling for me to catch them and qualify for the points he needed. Each time I passed I saw him waving and screaming at me. I caught the back of the pack but failed to qualify.
When I saw Jumbo, he was angry at me. He said he was trying to tell me to drop out, drop out. He wanted to use me in the mile (which he had entered me in when he sent in the entries of our team). He asked if I felt good enough to try the mile which was about 3 hours away. What could I say. By race time, I was not fit to run a fast mile mentally and physically.
I looked over my shoulder as I went into the last turn with one lap to go and saw Beatty behind me and my pride said: ‘Tom, you can’t be lapped-how humiliating’, and I picked it up down the straightaway and saw the officials waving at me to move to the wall but there was no room at the wall which was filled with timers and judges. I ran past them and I believe they tried to raise the finish line over my head and then dropped it to let Beatty break the tape as he was only a few seconds behind me. I finished and don’t remember anyone in front of me as I went across the finish line.
If you can see the New York Times Sunday Sport Page (February 25, 1962) there is a picture of me breaking the tape with Jim Beatty just a few feet behind me with the headline: “And the last shall be first”. Humbling race on the front cover of the NYT Sports page!!!. They said in the newspapers that Jim Beatty ran his last lap all alone but I know he had me in his sights and I was his “rabbit” in that last lap.
I have given that picture in the NYT to my two daughters and four grandchildren and told them: ‘Sometimes you win, and sometimes it is not your day or time and lose in a big way. You move on and run your best you can in your next competition’.
1968–Martin McGrady had already established himself as the “Chairman of the Boards” (pre-Eamonn Coghlan’s reign), but now he would be facing Lee Evans for the first time in the 600y final at the AAU Indoor Championships in Oakland,CA.
Feeling weak after returning from a meet in Moscow, McGrady briefly considered withdrawing from the race, but thought, ”The people came to see a show in this race. I guess I’m in good enough shape to give them one”.
And what a show it was. Two afternoon heats set up a classic final that included McGrady, Evans, defending champ Jim Kemp, and Ron Whitney, the reigning U.S. champion in the 440y-hurdles.
The fast-starting Kemp took the early lead, followed by McGrady and Evans. With a lap to go, Evans moved up to challenge Kemp, with McGrady boxed on the inside. Kemp was able to hold onto the lead as Evans and McGrady collided, nearly taking the latter out of the race. But McGrady was able to regain his balance, and, with Evans now looking like a winner, he was able to will himself past both of his rivals to nab the victory as all three men were timed in 1:09.2, just .2s second above McGrady’s World Record of 1:09.0. It remains one of the greatest indoor races in history.
Eleanor Montgomery set an American Record of 5-10 ½ (1.79) in the Women’s High Jump.
Sports Illustrated Vault: https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/03/04/three-on-the-line-in-the-600
T&F News Cover
McGrady, Evans, and Kemp cross the line together
1978—Houston McTear set a World Record of 6.04 for 60-Yards at the U.S. Indoor Championships at Madison Square Garden. McTear shaved .07s off his previous record of 6.11 that was set earlier in the season at the Millrose Games.
Francie Larrieu(Smith) won the Women’s Mile over rival Jan Merrill (4:37.0-4:37.6), with prep Lynn Jennings finishing 3rd with a High School Record of 4:39.0.
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/02/25/110935399.html?pageNumber=11
Sports Illustrated (for subcribers)
1983—With Earl Jones running a 1:49.2 anchor, Eastern Michigan set a short-lived Collegiate Record of 7:21.22 on the flat 220y-yard track in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Arkansas would run 7:19.92 two days later on their home track in Fayetteville.
1984–Germany’s Carlo Thränhardt cleared 7-9 ¼ (2.37) in Berlin to set a new World Indoor Record in the High Jump.
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Thränhardt
1985–One year to the day after fellow German Carlo Thränhardt jumped 7-9 ¼ (2.37), Dietmar Mögenburg upped the World Indoor Record to 7-10 (2.39) in Cologne. (Sweden’s Patrik Sjöberg had broken Thränhardt’s mark two days earlier with a clearance of 7-9 ¾ (2.38)
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietmar_Mögenburg
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_high_jump_indoor_world_record_progression
1989—Brazil’s Robson da Silva set a World Indoor Record of 32.19 for 300-meters in Karlsruhe, Germany.
2002–Russia’s Svetlana Feofanova broke her 2-week old World Record in the Pole Vault when she cleared 15-6 ½ (4.64m) in Liévin, France.
2002–Jumping in Donetsk, Ukraine, Jeff Hartwig became the first American to clear 6-meters (19-8 1/4) indoors. He would vault higher twice more in the next two weeks with jumps of 19-8 ½ (6.01m) and 19-9 (6.02), but neither mark was ratified as an American Record. He lost his AR to Sam Kendricks, who cleared 19-8 ½ (6.01) in Rouen, France, on February 8, 2020.
2019—16-year old Athing Mu, a Junior at Trenton(NJ) H.S., had set a World Junior Record of 1:26.53 in her qualifying heat of the 600m the day before, but that did little to prepare fans for what happened in the final. Fighting off a strong challenge from veteran Raevyn Rogers on the final backstretch, Mu pulled away in the final 100-meters and went on to win in 1:23.57. Her time, which prompted shocked reactions from her fellow finalists, not only bettered her day-old WJR Record, it also broke Alysia Montaño’s American Record of 1:23.59! Rogers held on for 2nd-place (1:24.88/#5 U.S.). Mu and Rogers would finish 1-3 in the 800-Meters at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, while Mu would win another gold at the 2022 World Outdoor Championships in Eugene (She won bronze at the 2023 World Championships).
Donavan Brazier went Mu one better in the very next race, setting a World Record of 1:13.77 in the Men’s 600. Kenya’s Michael Saruni set the previous record of 1:14.79 in 2018.
Ajee’ Wilson won a deep Women’s 1000 in 2:34.71, the #2 U.S. time ever, and she was followed by Hanna Green (2:35.40/#4 U.S.), Ce’Aira Brown (2:35.64/#5), and Laura Roesler (2:36.60/#7). (A-T placings at the time)
Shelby Houlihan, 2nd in the mile the day before, won her 3rd straight indoor distance title, finishing 1st in the 2-mile with a time of 9:31.38. (She won the 2-mile in 2017, the 3000 in 2018/Won her 4th straight by finishing first in the 3000 in 2020).
https://www.letsrun.com/events/2019/02/2019-usatf-indoor-championships
https://www.letsrun.com/events/2019/02/2019-usatf-indoor-championships
Results: https://www.flashresults.com/2019_Meets/Indoor/02-22_USATF/
Videos(Subscription Required): https://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&mgroup_event_id=25&do=videos&folder_id=recent&year=2019
2021— Grant Holloway won the 60-Meter Hurdles in 7.29 in Madrid, Spain, breaking the 27-year old World Record of 7.30 that was set by Great Britain’s Colin Jackson in 1994. He would match his own record in 2022 and better it when he ran 7.27 in his heat at the 2024 U.S. Indoor Championships.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8omN7pyirA
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/feature/grant-holloway-60-hurdles-world-record
https://www.usatf.org/news/2021/grant-holloway-breaks-60m-hurdles-world-record
2024—Georgia’s Christopher Morales-Williams, a freshman from Canada, won the 400 at the SEC Indoor Championships in 44.49, faster than the official World Indoor Record of 44.57 that was set by Kerron Clement in 2005, and faster than Michael Norman’s 44.52 that was never ratified by World Athletics (neither was Morales-Williams’ time).
After 17 previous misses at 2-meters (6-6 ¾), Texas A&M’s Tamara Distin finally cleared the elusive barrier on her final attempt, breaking the Collegiate Record of 6-6 (1.98) that was shared by Destinee Hooker (Texas/2009) and Akela Jones (Kansas State/2018).
Significant Birthdays
Born On This Day*
Aleia Hobbs 29 (1996) 2022 World Champion-4×100 (1st round)…5th in the 100
2021 Olympic silver medalist—4×100 (1st round)
2018 U.S. Champion—100m…2nd in 2022…6th at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, 5th in 2024
2-time U.S. Indoor Champion-60m (2023, 2024)…set the American Record of 6.94 in the 2023 final
2018 NCAA Indoor (60m) and Outdoor (100m) Champion (LSU)…also anchored LSU to a win in the 4×100
Had earlier anchored the Tigers to a Collegiate Record of 42.05 in the 4×100 at the SEC Champs (since broken)
NCAA 100-5th (2015), 6th (2017)
2019 World Relays Champion-4×100: Mikiah Brisco, Ashley Henderson, Dezerea Bryant, Aleia Hobbs
PBs: 6.94i (2023/NR), 10.81 (2022), 22.93 (2018); 2024 SB: 10.88; 2025 SB: 7.16i
Still trains at LSU with coach Dennis Shaver…training partner is former LSU teammate Mikiah Brisco
Adopted her son Amir in 2022
Videos: 2023 U.S.i-6.94 2024 U.S.i 2018 NCAA 100 2018 NCAA-4×1 4×100 CR
Profile: https://olympics.com/en/news/aleia-hobbs-usa-sprinter-100m-adoption-online-abuse
Henrik Ingebrigtsen-Norway 34 (1991) 2-time Olympian-1500m (2012-5th, 2016-semi finalist)
2012 European Champion (silver medalist-2014 & 2018, bronze-2016)
8th at the 2013 World Championships
The oldest of three brothers, all of whom have had success on the international scene
Filip-2016 European Champion-1500m, bronze medalist in the 1500 at the 2017 World Championships
Jakob-2021 Olympic gold medalist-1500m, 2024 Olympic gold medalist-5000 (among his many accomplishments);
PBs: 3:31.46 (2014), 3:50.72 (2014), 7:36.85 (2019), 13:15.38 (2019), 28:20.39 (2022);
2024 SB: 13:26.92
