Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field–July 13
1912–This day in Stockholm marked the beginning of the first Olympic Decathlon conducted with the same 10 events that are currently used. The one wrinkle in Stockholm is that the event was held over 3 days! (day 1-100, LJ, SP; Day 2-HJ, 400, DT, 110h; Day 3-PV, JT, 1500). Jim Thorpe, who had won the 5-event Pentathlon six days earlier, went on to win his 2nd gold medal in this event and was told by the King of Sweden, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world”. To which Thorpe reportedly replied, “Thanks, King”. Thus began the tradition of bestowing the “greatest” title to the winner of the Olympic Decathlon.
After incidents at the 1908 Games and in the semi-finals here, lanes were used for the first time in the Men’s 400-meters final. American Charles Reidpath set an Olympic Record of 48.2 to win the gold medal in a close battle with Germany’s Hanns Braun (48.3) and U.S. teammate Edward Lindberg (48.4). Ted Meredith finished 4th in 49.2. Mel Sheppard had one of the fastest times in the semi-finals, but was edged for the lone qualifying spot in his race by Meredith, who had beaten him for the gold medal in the 800 earlier in the Games.
The event is no longer contested, but the “team 3000” race was won by a U.S. lineup of Tel Barna (8:44.6), Norman Taber (8:45.2), and George Bonhag (8:46.6).
Another event making its Olympic farewell was the Standing High Jump. The U.S. got a 1-2 sweep from brothers Platt (5 -4 ¼ [1.63]) and Ben (5 -3 [1.60]) Adams, with the bronze going to Greece’s Kostas Tsiklitiras (5 -1 [1.55])
Results
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1912_Summer_Olympics
https://www.olympedia.org/editions/6/sports/ATH
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016499.html
Obituary(1953): http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0528.html
100 Years of the Decathlon: http://www.runmichigan.com/view.php?id=16234
1924 (updated)–A U.S. lineup of Frank Hussey, Louis Clarke, Loren Murchison, and Alfred LeConey ran 41.0 in the semi-final and final at the Olympics in the Paris suburb of Colombes to set a World Record in the 4×100 relay. The same foursome set the previous mark of 41.2 in the first round. Winning silver and bronze were Great Britain (41.2) and the Netherlands (41.8).
A 2nd record fell to the American 4×400 team of Commodore Cochran (50.1), William Stevenson (49.2), Oliver MacDonald (48.5), and Alan Helffrich (48.2), which ran 3:16.0. 2nd and 3rd were Sweden (3:17.0) and Great Britain (3:17.4)
Cochran, the 1922 and 1923 NCAA 440y Champion while at Mississippi A&M (now State), later coached his younger brother, Roy, who won gold medals in the 400-hurdles and 4×400 relay at the 1948 Olympics. Stevenson later served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.
Five days after winning the Shot Put, future Hall-of-Famer Bud Houser won the first of his two gold medals in the Discus, setting an Olympic Record of 151-5 (46.155). Finishing 2nd was Finland’s Vilho Niittymaa (147-5 [44.95]), and 3rd was Houser’s American teammate, Tom Lieb (147-1 [44.83]).
Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola finished 1-2 to lead Finland to a win over Great Britain and the U.S. in the 3000-meter team event.
Other medalists
10k Walk-1.Ugo Frigerio (ITA/47:49.0), 2.Gordon Goodwin (GBR/48:37.9), 3.Cecil McMaster (RSA/49:08.0)
Results
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1924_Summer_Olympics
https://www.olympedia.org/editions/8/sports/ATH
WR Progressions:
4×100: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_4_x_100_metres_relay_world_record_progression
4×400: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_4_x_400_metres_relay_world_record_progression
1957–The Soviet Union’s Yuri Stepanov became the 2nd man in history to clear 7-feet in the High Jump, clearing 7-1 (2.16) to break Charlie Dumas’s year-old World Record of 7-1/2 (2.15). Stepanov was (in)famous for using a built-up shoe on his take-off foot, an aid that the IAAF banned the following year.
Sports Illustrated Vault: https://vault.si.com/vault/1957/09/09/the-red-shoe-mystery
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_high_jump_world_record_progression
1963–John Pennel regained the American Record in the Pole Vault from Brian Sternberg (16-8 [5.08]) by clearing 16-8 ¾ (5.10) at White City Stadium in London. Hall of Fame Bio(2004): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/john-pennel
1973–Dave Bedford ran 27:30.80 in London to break Lasse Viren’s World Record for 10,000 meters by more than 7 seconds (27:38.4). Bedford served many years as the director of the London Marathon. Check the link below for more on one of the more colorful characters ever associated with the sport.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_10,000_metres_world_record_progression
Bedford/Marathon: http://tinyurl.com/BedfordMarathon
1979–Louise Ritter raised her American Record in the High Jump by 1/2-inch, clearing 6-4 (1.93) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The future Hall-of-Famer went on to win Olympic gold in 1988.
HOF Bio(1995): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/louise-ritter
1984–Jumping at Crystal Palace in London, pole vaulter Sergey Bubka got the 3rd World Record of his still-young career by clearing 19-4 ¼ (5.90) on his first attempt.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_pole_vault_world_record_progression
1985–It was a barrier that meant much more to the rest of the world than it did to most U.S. fans, but Sergey Bubka, a year to the day after setting a WR of 5.90 (19-4 ¼…later improved to 5.94 [19-5 ¾]), became the first man in history to clear 6-meters (19-8 1/4) in the Pole Vault. Bubka cleared his opening height of 5.70 (18-8 1/4) in Paris on his first attempt, then had the bar raised to the historic height (This was well before the days when Bubka would raise the record a centimeter at a time). He needed all three jumps to get over the magical barrier.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_pole_vault_world_record_progression
2003–Bubka’s female counterpart, Russia’s Yelena Isinbaeva, cleared 15-9 ¾ (4.82) in Gateshead, England, to break Stacy Dragila’s 2-year old World Record of 15-9 ¼ (4.81). It was the first WR for Isinbaeva, who wound up with a total of 30 during her career (13-indoors and 17-outdoors).
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_pole_vault_world_record_progression
(Indoors): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_pole_vault_indoor_world_record_progression
2003—Among the winners at the World Youth (Under-18) Championships in Sherbrooke (July 9-13) who went on to bigger and better things were:
Usain Bolt(JAM)/16 (200) 8 Olympic Golds/2008:100, 200; 2012:100, 200, 4×1; 2016:100, 200, 4×1
11 World Titles/2009:100, 200, 4×1; 2011:200, 4×1; 2013:100, 200, 4×1; 2015:100, 200, 4×1
2 World Championships Silvers/2007: 200, 4×1; 100m World Championships Bronze Medalist 2017
World Records-100 (9.58/2009), 200 (19.19/2009)
Jason Richardson(US)/17 (110h/400h)-110h/2008 NCAA Champion, 2011 World Champion-110h, 2012 Olympic silver
medalist-110h
Sally McLellan-Pearson(AUS)/16 (100h)-2012 Olympic gold medalist (silver-2008), 2-time World
Champion (2011,2017/2013-silver)
Natasha Hastings(US)/16 (400)-9-time gold medalist in the 4×400 relay—Olympics (‘08,‘16),
World Championships (’07,’09,’11,’13), World Indoor Championships (’10,’14,’16)
Zuzana Hejnová( CZE)/16 (400h)-2-time World Champion (2013,2015), 2012 Olympic bronze medalist
IAAF Results:
https://www.worldathletics.org/results/iaaf-world-u18-championships/2003/3rd-iaaf-world-youth-championships-6946640
Medalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_World_Youth_Championships_in_Athletics
Video(Bolt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsEh6nE7Usw
2008—Not all were winners at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland (July 8-13), but some medalists went on to have success at the Senior level.
Kirani James(GRN)/15! (400-2)-2012 Olympic gold medalist (2016-silver, 2021-bronze); 2011 World Champion (2015-
bronze, 2022-silver); 2-time NCAA Champion (Alabama/2010,2011)
Abubaker Kaki(SUD)/19 (800-1):2-time World Indoor Champion (2008,2010); Silver medalist-2011 World Championships
Dejen Gebremeskel(ETH)/18 (5000-3)-2012 Olympic silver medalist; bronze medalist-2011 World Championships
Bohdan Bondarenko(UKR)/18 (High Jump-1)-2013 World Champion (2015-silver); 2016 Olympic bronze medalist;
Teddy Tamgho(FRA)/19 (Triple Jump-1)-2013 World Champion; 2010 World Indoor Champion; World Indoor Record
holder/58-9 ½([17.92]/twice!/since broken)
David Storl(GER)/17 (Shot Put-1)-2-time World Champion (2011,2013/2015-silver); 2012 Olympic silver medalist; 3-time
silver medalist at the World Indoor Championships (2012,2014,2018)
Genzebe Dibaba(ETH)/17 (5000-2)-2015 World Champion (1500); 5 World Indoor Titles/2012:1500; 2014:3000; 2016:
3000; 2018:1500, 3000; 2016 Olympic silver medalist (1500); multiple World Records, including 3:50.07 for
1500-meters (since broken)
Katerina Stefanidi(GRE)/17 (Pole Vault-3)-2016 Olympic gold medalist; 2017 World Champion/2019-bronze;
2-time bronze medalist at the World Indoor Championships (2016, 2018)
Ivana Španović-Vuleta(SRB)/18 (Long Jump-1)-2018 & 2022 World Indoor Champion/Silver Medalist-2016, Bronze
medalist-2014; 2016 Olympic bronze medalist; 2-time bronze medalist at the World Championships(2013,2015)
IAAF Report:
www.worldathletics.org/results/iaaf-world-u20-championships/2008/12th-iaaf-world-junior-championships-6977500
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_World_Junior_Championships_in_Athletics
Born On This Day*
Cordell Tinch 25 (2000) The “Cinderella” story of 2023
2023 NCAA Div.II Champion—110h, High Jump, Long Jump (Pittsburg State)
2023 NCAA Div.II Indoor Champion—60m-hurdles, High Jump (Pittsburg State)
2nd in the 110-hurdles at the 2023 U.S. Championships ( 5th in the LJ)—semi-finalist in the hurdles at the 2023
World Championships in Budapest.
4th at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials
Winner at two Diamond League meetings in China in 2025…ran 12.87 in Shanghai, moving to =#4 on the All-Time World list
Was a cell-phone salesman in 2022!
Green Bay native was recruited to compete in football, as well as track…he spent one semester at Minnesota
before transferring to Kansas, where he was the 2019 Big-12 Champion in the 110m-Hurdles. Left Kansas early
in 2020 and then enrolled at Coffeyville C.C. in the fall. Left after one semester and was resigned to the
thought that his track career was over. Joined some friends who were transferring to Pittsburg State. Competed for the first time in almost 3 years when he ran 7.73 in the
60m-Hurdles and long-jumped 26-3/4 (7.94) on February 3, 2023
Turned pro prior to the 2023 U.S. Championships
PBs: 7.43i (2025), 12.87 (2025/=#4 All-Time World, #4 U.S.), 7-3 1/4i (2.22/2023), 26-9 1/4 (8.16/2023),
27-1/2w (8.24/2023);
https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/cordell-tinch-track-and-field-hurdles
Cordell Tinch — You Can’t Make Up A Story Like This
https://www.letsrun.com/news/2023/05/cordell-who-meet-the-dii-star-who-just-ran-12-97-in-the-110-hurdles/
Turning Pro: https://trackandfieldnews.com/release-tinch-goes-pro-signs-with-doyle-management/
https://pittstategorillas.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/cordell-tinch/6402
https://gopresstimes.com/2023/03/17/tinch-wins-two-national-titles/
https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=654977
2023 USATF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUzLBexx7b4
2024 O.T.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbmp6LfH8XU
12.87: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca2CIeCVMqk
https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/cordell-tinch-trials
Zharnel Hughes—Great Britain 30 (1995) Bronze medalist in the 100 at the 2023 World Championships
2024 Olympic bronze medalist-4×100
Silver medalist in the 4×100 at the 2019 World Championships…bronze in 2022
4-time European Champion—2018 (100, 4×100), 2022 (200, 4×100)
Other global placings
WC-2015 (200-5th), 2019 (100-6th), 2023 (200-4th, 4×100-4th)
PBs: 6.45i (2023), 9.83 (2023/NR), 14.66-150m (2022) 19.73 (2023/NR); 2025 SBs: 9.91, 20.13
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zharnel_Hughes
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/zharnel-hughes-14414524
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a44878578/zharnel-hughes/
Liu Xiang—China 42 (1983) 2004 Olympic gold medalist—110-hurdles;
2007 World Champion (Silver medalist -2005, 2011, bronze medalist-2013)
2008 World Indoor Champion—60m-hurdles (silver medalist-2004,2012, bronze medalist-2003)
Disappointed a nation when an injury kept him from competing in the 1st round at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
Equalled the World Record of 12.91 in the 2004 Olympic final, set a WR of 12.88 in 2006 (since broken)
Ranked #1 in the world in 2004, 2006, 2007…#4 in 2003,2005,2011 (2002-8, 2012-5)
2004 OG:
