Al Oerter the discus god and David Pain the founder of USA masters track are recovering from serious health problems at the moment. In southwest Florida, Oerter is thankful to be alive after heart failure. In San Diego, Pain is
Anyone who competes in a world masters meet has a story to tell that rivals “The Odyssey” by Homer. If I could interview some of the sung and unsung USA athletes, for example, I might start with Louise Adams, 81,
I’m positively pleased to share a note I wrote to Roger Jennings at FlashResults, the North Carolina-based timing and results-reporting service that did such a great job in Carolina, Puerto Rico. And I urge like-minded athletes to do the same.
For all the marvelous marks at Carolina, we might keep in mind the athletes left behind. An unknown number of entrants never made it to the stadia of Puerto Rico. Many could have medaled. This is always the case, but
Before the topic gets old and moldy, let’s tie up some loose ends on the WMA General Assembly. These national masters delegates met from around 9 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. July 10, 2003, at the Ritz Carlton Carolina (with a
On a fortuitous 7/11, David Ashford of Illinois put his money where his spikes are — shattering the M40 world record in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 13.73 seconds (into a slight wind). Highlighting a season in
The plot thickens. According to a witness of yesterday’s WMA General Assembly in Carolina, Puerto Rico, some European delegations — including those of Germany and France — were barred from voting. Since Germany had one of the biggest voting blocs
The desert has shrunk. The entry age of men for masters competition will now be the same as women: 35 (pending a rubber stamp by the IAAF). This is long overdue — and represents the first fundamental change in defining
Four years ago, when I attended the WAVA General Assembly at Gateshead, England, I was impressed by the technology that (via headphones) provided translations of debates in many languages to the voting delegates. I wish WMA would show some tech
Dave Ashford of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, came THIS close to breaking the M40 world record in the 110 hurdles yesterday in Puerto Rico. Running with a legal (0.2 mps) wind, Ashford clocked a sensational 14.02 in the prelims — nearly
Mystery is half-solved. Bill Collins beat Ed Gonera for the M50 title at 200 yesterday in Puerto Rico — but we may never know his true winning time. Results from WMA worlds site show: 1 Collins, Bill M52 United States
In 1978, I interviewed four-time Olympic discus champion Al Oerter. In my story for Track & Field News, I repeated what Oerter had famously said years before: “These are the Olympics. You die for them.” Now we’re seeing that creed
