Heinz Arno Kueppers, a two-time world masters champion in the triple jump who also competed for Germany on the world level, was killed June 17 when he crashed his Audi in the west-central town of JĂĽlich, according to media reports. It took about nine days to identify his body via DNA analysis. HisFacebook page includes some tributes, and German track sites noted the loss. Born in 1954, Arno was a near contemporary of Willie Banks and posted a shot of him posing with Willie. Arno won gold medals at 2005 and 2009 worlds in M45 and M55 groups. One German site noted: “Heinz-Arno Kueppers already part of the active time of the top three jumpers in Germany, continued his successful career continued in the senior and was also there, known as a humble, helpful athlete and popular. With Heinz-Arno Kueppers the Senior Athletics loses a popular and likeable athlete.”
Under cloudy skies, my fellow Jayhawk Pat Manson erased the listed M45 world record in the vault [5.10] by Larry Jessee, whose earlier M40 18-footer was widely doubted. Video of Pat’s jump of 5.11 (16-9 1/4) is posted on Facebook.Mike Ritter in Colorado was the first to share the news: “Masters were vaulting at Sports Authority field [Saturday] in Parker, CO after the pole vault conclusion of the USATF Jr. Olympic meet there. Pat cleared 16’2’’ and then raised the bar to 16’9” and made it.” Also reported (by Stefan Waltermann) is an M80 world record in the decathlon set over the weekend. [See results here.] Oregon’s Bob Hewitt scored 8360 points in Charlotte, North Carolina, to crush the listed M80 world record of 7170 by France’s Darrot Pierre at 2001 Brisbane worlds. Bob’s marks: 15.39 in 100, 4.16 (13-07.75) in long jump, 10.18 (33-04.75) in shot, 1.25 (4-01.25) in high jump, 1:20.16 in 400, 15.98 in 80-meter hurdles, 26.53 (87-0 1/2) in discus, 2.35 (7-08.50) in vault, 26.51 (86-11 /3/4) in javelin and 8:46.90 in 1500. Bob set the M75 WR of 7954 at Joplin, Missouri, five years ago. Great jobs, gents! Here’s Pat trying for a WR on June 15:
Debbie Fetterman, a blogger on Dallas running, reports the latest record by M95 Orville Rogers: “He raced into the record books again at Saturday’s Texas Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Coppell High School. Rogers smashed the previous 400-meter world record by more than 20 seconds. Rogers ran the distance in 2 minutes, 17.45 seconds. Erwin Jaskulski of Austria held the world record (2:38.64) for (M95). He set it in Honolulu on Sept. 24, 2009 when he was 98.” “There should be no problem with this record being approved,” Dallas Masters Track Club president Lester Mount told Debbie, adding that Rogers “more or less destroyed the existing record.” Said Rogers: “I guess the distance was short enough that the weather was not a big factor.” Results are here. Other great marks were turned in by M40 Tod Long in the 200 (22.67), M80 Joe Summerlin in the 200 (34.33) and M70 vaulter Don Isett (3.04 meters, just under 10 feet). Congrats to all, especially Orville.
Orville set a slew of records at Landover nationals. He’s entered at Olathe.
Otis Burrell, the No. 1-ranked American high jumper in 1965, 1966 and 1969, had a best of 2.19 meters (7-2 1/4) as a straddler. Although he competed last season, I wasn’t aware that he was back in the game until viewing results from the USATF Western Regional Masters Championships last weekend at Caltech. He turned 69 in May, and he’s been a track coach at nearby Santa Monica College. I found some archival footage of him with other greats of that era, like Dick Fosbury, Ed Caruthers and Reynaldo Brown. Now it’s great to see him back! Here’s how he did in Pasadena against my high school jump coach Charlie Rader:
Sue is insatiable. Her second W50 American record in the high jump this month came at Sunday’s USATF Western Regional Masters Championships at Caltech in Pasadena. Peter Hlavin, the M55 American record holder in the event, shared the video below, which I slowed down. You’ll note Sue’s runup wasn’t perfect. She appears to slow near the end and then speed up. So she has inches left in the tank. Congrats again to Super Sue! Now I’m awaiting a link to full results.
Sue McDonald turned 50 on March 29, so she was tanned, rested and ready for her HJ record quest less than three months later. In a quickie Q&A, she graciously shared details of her day at the Olympic Training Center southeast of San Diego: “I opened at 1.51, made that first attempt. Â Went straight to 1.56, made that second attempt and then missed all three at the WR 1.61 (5-3 1/4). This is from my recollections… I can confirm this was my progression when I get home and look at the official sheet.” How did she celebrate the American record? “The rest of my family was visiting relatives for a family reunion in San Diego so I joined up with them and we all celebrated together.”
In February, Sue McDonaldtold her local newspaper that she was dedicating her training this year to breaking the W50 American and world records in the high jump. Mission accomplished on the AR. On June 8, competing in the San Diego-Imperial USATF Open Championships, Sue cleared 1.56 meters (5-1 1/4). That topped the listed AR of 1.55 (5-1) by Phil Raschker in 1997. Sue’s jump was made at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. She never made it to the Games, but she tried. She was an All-American collegiate high jumper as a kid and later took up the vault. The listed W50 WR is 1.60 (5-3) by Canadian Olympian Debbie Brill. Sue, a fitness trainer, isn’t listed as an Olathe masters entrant, but she probably has other meets on her dance card this summer. Congrats to Sue!
Or maybe not. With two days until the “on-time” deadline for Olathe masters nationals, the Status of Entries says I’m among only six or seven M55 entrants in the 1, 2 and 4H (I just coined that). I’m also set for a ribbon in the high jump, if fourth-place awards are given. Of course, others will trickle in. So my excitement is short-lived. My hurdling entry is another leap of faith. If I managed a lap over 33-inch hurdles at age 59, I’d be perhaps the oldest quarter-mile hurdler in the country. But the most I’ve run in practice is three sets of three 30-inch hurdles. So we shall see. But at least I have my confidence back more than six years after ACL-reconstruction surgery on my lead knee. In the meantime, what are everyone’s theories on the so-far low turnout at Olathe?
Yeah, yeah. Mary Cain is the second coming of Mary Decker. No doubt Mary 2.0 will be a player at the world level, especially with Alberto Salazar as her coach. But on the same day (and track) that she added the 5K high school record to her portfolio, the masters mile winner cranked out a 4:22.52 — better than Mary’s 1500 best converted to a mile (4:24.19). Event organizer Dave Clingan reports from the Portland Track Festival: “Ian Gillespie (43) led most of the race, but was overtaken by Ahrlin Bauman (40) on the home stretch. Bauman ran 4:22.52, after running a 15:14.51 5000m the night before. Uli Steidl (41) finished third in 4:25.10, after running the 10000m the night before in 31:14.” Here’s the Flotrack video of the race.
Joanna Harper writes: “This year’s Portland Track Festival [this weekend] will feature another outstanding field in the master’s women’s 3000 meter race. Sonja Friend Uhlis the unquestioned star, but other outstanding runners like Grace Padilla, Carmen Troncoso, Tania Fischer, Kirsten Leetch, Cassandra Henkiel and Jeannie Groesz will make for quite a race. For those who can’t make it to Portland, the meet will be available on Flotrack.” (That means video of all races.)
Sonja at USA 20K Championships in New Haven, CT, in 2010.
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...]
