In 1975, the vote was tied: What would they call the worldwide adult age-group governing body? “Masters” and “Veterans” had equal votes. So the tie was broken by a Brit:presiding chairman Jack Fitzgerald of The Association of Veteran Athletes. That’s how WAVA came to be. Later, they thought better of it (worried that “veterans” suggested military vets, hurting their branding and sponsorship potential). So WAVA became WMA. Now the last vestiges of veteranism are gone. The European Veterans Athletics Association has become the European Masters Association. So says the Eurovets site. About time.
Yowza! Medal-winners at major WMA meets can earn paychecks — at least those from the northern Indian state of Haryana. According to the Times of India, “The government has also increased the cash awards for medallists in Asian Masters Athletics Championship and World Masters Athletic Championships. … The cash award for medal winners … has also been increased for gold medal from Rs 35,000 to Rs 70,000, silver from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 and bronze from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000.” Before you book your flight and apply for citizenship, be aware that the exchange rate is about 60 rupees to a dollar. So the payouts are about $1,200, $850 and $500. Anyone else offer moola for medals? In its early years, WAVA fought to include professionals (athletes excluded from IAAF competition by earning small stipends. Think Jim Thorpe and his lost Olympic medals.) Love the $$$ idea. Are you listening, USATF?
A W55 Indian hurdler (eventually DQ’d) at Lahti worlds would miss payday.
M100 isn’t what she used to be. Hidekichi “Golden Bolt” Miyazaki, 103, of Japan is challenging Usain Bolt to a race in 2015 and planning an assault on the record books. Only one problem: WMA affords him no opportunity to set records when he’s 105. As I’ve noted, WMA age groups end at M100 and W100. In other words, 113-year-olds are lumped with their spring-chicken centenarian cousins. But in this otherwise delightful story, we’re told: “Having become the planet’s fastest centenarian in 2010, he now has his sights on another milestone in the unlikely 105-109 age group category. ‘That’s what I’m training for,’ said Miyazaki, who loses valuable seconds at the start of races because he can’t hear the gun go off. ‘It’s my birthday next month and that’s my next goal.’ He need only cross the finish line to set the new world record as no official mark exists in that age class.” So listen up, Japanese affiliate. Request a WMA rule change that creates a 105-and-over age group. Or you’ll have to answer to the Golden Bolt.
Hidekichi is gunning for a showdown with Bolt and a nonexistent record.
Joe (left) and Jerry with RMMG award. Janet Johnston photo
Sue Norton graciously shared results of the USATF Colorado Association, Mid-America Region Championships and Rocky Mountain Masters Games, held August 23-24 at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins. See the results PDF, which includes ages. Sue, prez of the Colorado Masters Track & Field Club, writes: “We had a great meet — 26 Mid-America and 22 RMMG records were broken.” Top award went to M70 jumper/hurdler Joe Johnston,  reports Christel Donley: “Colorado Masters Track & Field “Jerry Donley” pole vault award was presented to Joe for the highest [Age-Graded] percentage men or women. Five more awards were given, a tradition at that meet.” Jerry is Christel’s hubby, a longtime athlete and masters official. Joe jumped 2.90 (9-6) in the vault, and also excelled at the 100 (15.65), 80 hurdles (14.45), high jump (1.31), discus (27.55) and javelin (28.78).
Can there be any doubt that Gia Lewis-Smallwood holds the W35 American record in the discus? If other mammoth heaves since turning 35 in April weren’t proof enough, she did us all a favor Saturday in Valence, France. As reported by her alma mater, Gia “set a new American record in the discus at the French-sanctioned DecaNation meet. The Champaign, Illinois, native won the event with a throw of 69.17 meters (226-11), besting the field by over 6 meters. [Her] toss surpasses the previous American record of 67.74 meters, set by Stephanie Brown-Trafton in the spring of 2012.” Her previous PR was 67.59 at the Glasgow Diamond League earlier this year. Gia is expected to compete in Marrakech, Morocco, on Sept. 13-14. Next goal would be the W35 world record of 69.60 (228-4) by Russian Olympic champ Faina Myelnik. Since age-group ARs set at North Carolina nationals are listed as pending, it’s only fair that Gia get her name in the masters record books as well.
Rachel Hanssens is no stranger to world records, but in the past two months, she’s outdone herself — and even the legendary Olga Kotelko. Belgium’s Rachel beat the listed Olga record in the throws pentathlon — twice. First was in early July and again (but lower score) at the Eurovets meet in Turkey. According to the possibly error-ridden record tally, Rachel set eight W85 WRs at Euro WMA regionals. (But her pent score in July was 4,926 points, vs. the 4846 at Eurovets.) Both crushed Olga’s listed WR of 4211. So now Rachel is in the running for IAAF World Best Masters Athlete. In July, she reportedly set three WRs. Rachel deserves consideration despite the WMA prejudice against the oldest age groups because “they don’t have much competition in their age group.” Bull-puckey. WRs still count. Soft records are rare.
Joy, in Costa Rican hurdles, also starred at 2014 Budapest indoor worlds. Rob Jerome photo
Mary Trotto has tallied votes of her USATF Masters Awards Committee (including mine) and announced that Bill Collins and Joy Upshaw will be America’s nominees for IAAF World Best Masters honors at the end of the year. The WMA Council chooses from among WMA regional picks for the top spots, who get all-expenses-paid trips to the IAAF Gala in November. So what about Flo Meiler and Irene Obera? Don’t think too hard. This is WMA, remember. According to their rules, the 2014 track season consists of two meets — WMA indoor worlds and any of the WMA regional meets. If you don’t run WMA, you don’t count for the Gala gig. To their credit, several members of Mary’s committee rebelled at this. But she patiently reminded them that WMA makes the rules, and her hands are tied. My idea? As a protest, don’t nominate anyone. In fact, USATF and Canada should unite to back posthumous recognition of Olga Kotelko, who went bonkers at Budapest. BTW, if Bill eventually wins the best male award, he’d be the first double American winner (fixed after comment below). He won in 2006.
Former Marine Phil Fehlen, whose 1.66 world record in the M65 high jump had lasted since 2000 Eugene nationals, was a trooper Wednesday when I informed him of the new WR of 1.67 (5-5 3/4) by Dusan Prezelj of Slovenia at the Eurovets meet in Turkey. Phil, a fellow San Diego County resident, wrote me: “I would have taken a strong second. Thanks for passing this on.” Charlie Rader, who along with N.C. nationals champion Jim Sauers have been targeting the record this year, responded to the news: “I know him well; he is a good jumper. I will pick up the pace for the Huntsman Games! I may see him next year in Lyon, France.” Our favorite Dutch correspondent (and high jump expert) Weia Reinboud, notes that Dusan is a flopper who won in Budapest also. “His wife, Stanka Prezelj, is a straddler. … Their son is a flopper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rožle_Prezelj with a PB of 2.32. Dusan is a high jump coach. Dusan was Yugoslavian champion decathlon in 1976 (7047 points) and Stanka high jump champion in 1981 (1.79).” Phil is a straddler, so the floppers are ascendant. Here’s Dusan from several years ago:
Jo Paveyis Supermom. In a wonderful column for The Telegraph in Britain, Jo couldn’t be more down-to-earth if she ate dirt. She writes: “We’ve been away a lot recently, first in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games and then in Zurich for the European Championships, where I won Gold in the 10,000m. You should see the mountain of laundry we’ve brought back with us. We didn’t have access to any washing machines in Zurich so I had to hand-wash the children’s clothes and dry them on the windowsill.” Gotta love it. Also: “I find it rather amusing that it’s taken me until the age of 40 to win my first gold medal. I only stopped breastfeeding Emily in April, so I thought it was highly unlikely that I’d even qualify for the championships this year. I didn’t compete last season because I was pregnant, and when I started training back in December my body was still in breastfeeding mode and my times on the track were slow.” Not unusual for a mom to be world-class, but a W40 is something to celebrate.
Squirrel! While distracted by Costa Rica regionals, I’ve neglected the biggest masters meet of 2014 — the European WMA regionals in Turkey. Results have been posted for four days at this neato-keeno site. I’m hoping y’all visit your age groups and events and report here the best marks you see. World records are being tallied on this page. But take them with a grain of salt. Listed as setting a W80 WR in the 100 is Hildegund Buerkle of Germany, who clocked 18.16 into a 1 mps wind. I guess Turkey doesn’t have Internet, or they might have heard of Irene Obera, who has at least four faster times this year, topped by a 16.40. As usual, the Germans dominate the medal tables. They have 109 so far, including 50 golds. The Brits are a distant second after four days, with 57 total medals. In the M60 category (the best, as everyone knows), Steve Peters of Britain won the 100 in 12.01.
Ken has followed track as an athlete, writer and web-master since the late 1960s, and saw most sessions of track and field at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He also attended the 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Trials, the last three as a blogger and Patch correspondent. [More...]
Squirrel! While distracted by Costa Rica regionals, I’ve neglected the biggest masters meet of 2014 — the European WMA regionals in Turkey. Results have been posted for four days at this neato-keeno site. I’m hoping y’all visit your age groups and events and report here the best marks you see. World records are being tallied on this page. But take them with a grain of salt. Listed as setting a W80 WR in the 100 is Hildegund Buerkle of Germany, who clocked 18.16 into a 1 mps wind. I guess Turkey doesn’t have Internet, or they might have heard of Irene Obera, who has at least four faster times this year, topped by a 16.40. As usual, the Germans dominate the medal tables. They have 109 so far, including 50 golds. The Brits are a distant second after four days, with 57 total medals. In the M60 category (the best, as everyone knows), Steve Peters of Britain won the 100 in 12.01.
