masterstrack.com

Older, slower, lower: Ken Stone's hobby blog for showcasing and watchdogging adult age-group track and field

Dieter Massin’s meet produced TWO women’s heptathlon WRs

I used to consider him the Darth Vader of masters track. But Germany’s Dieter Massin, former president of the Eurovets, puts on a great track meet. It was his Stendal meet that yielded Weia Reinboud’s W65 world record in the hep and high jump. Turns out a second heptathlon record was set as well — by Anja Akkerman. Since the 500-gram javelin replaced the 400-gram stick in the W60-W75 age groups, a second set of hep records are being created. Weia’s Dutch countrywoman Anja scored 5709 points to break the listed W60 world record in the “new” hep of 5458 by Germany’s Ulike Hiltscher. Anja’s marks were: 80 hurdles (14.93), high jump (1.25), shot put (9.14), 200 (32.43), long jump (4.04), javelin (30.00) and 800 (3:06.49). OK, Rita Hanscom, that’s your new target. The ultimate goal is displacing the “old” W60 hep record of 6341 by America’s Phil Raschker in 2007, set with the 400-gram jav.

June 3, 2015  No Comments

Weia Reinboud’s latest world records: W65 high jump, heptathlon

Throwing the 500-gram javelin, Weia Reinboud of Holland destroyed two heptathlon world records over the weekend, adding a WR of 1.40 (4-7) in her specialty the high jump for good measure. Competing at the Stendaler Hanse Cup multi-event meet in Stendal, Germany, Weia scored 6253 points — beating the listed record of 6211 using 400g javelin by Marianne Maier and the more recent 5244 by Ingeborg Zorzi with the 500g spear. (Results are here.) The events are (Day 1) 80-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200 and (Day 2) long jump, javelin and 800. Weia topped the listed WR in the high jump of 1.37 (4-6) by Germany’s Ursula Stelling in 2006. I demanded a report from Weia, and she graciously replied.

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June 2, 2015  2 Comments

Lyon entry deadline TODAY for Yanks; uniforms will be Beijing’s

Today (Monday) is the last day to enter Lyon worlds. USATF site says: “The official deadline is June 2, 2015 (11:59 pm UTC+1), or midnight in France; in the USA the cutoff time ranges from early morning to late afternoon on June 2 depending on time zone. The best approach is to register no later than June 1.” Also I’ve gotten confirmation on free uniforms for Team USA. Actually, they will be free tops. Entrants will be able to buy bottoms for 75 percent off. Whatever. In any case, I hear that the Nike uniforms will be circa 2008 — the kind worn by Beijing Olympians. USATF promises to email all entrants with logistics of ordering the kits. Lyon site shows who’s entered in what. I’ve also found this video of USATF CEO Max Siegel announcing the free uniforms for 2015. Max talks masters at 1 hour 32 minutes into the clip, so advance slider to that point.

June 1, 2015  One Comment

Irene Obera, Gunnar Linde set barrier records in California meets

In her first outdoor race of 2015, Hall of Famer Irene Obera ran the 80-meter hurdles in a wind-legal 19.14 Sunday at the USATF Pacific Association Masters Championships in Hayward — across the bay from San Francisco. That beats her listed W80 WR of 19.77 at 2014 Winston-Salem nationals. (As recently as 2013, the WR was Johnnye Valien’s 24.34.) She also ran the 2 in 38.84 and 4 in 1:46.00, a source says. (See results below.) On Saturday, down at Cerritos College in Norwalk (near L.A.), M85 Gunnar Linde crushed the listed American record in the 2000 steeple with a 14:06.56 at the SoCal USATF Association meet. (See results here.) The listed AR is 14:28.93 by Dan Bulkley at 2004 Decatur nationals. Stay tuned for details on W65 WRs by Weia Reinboud in the high jump and hep in Europe.

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May 31, 2015  2 Comments

Police and Fire nationals include age-group events in run ‘n’ gun

My wife the photographer discovered a shooter’s paradise Saturday in San Diego — a biathlon event at the U.S. Police and Fire Championships. Cops and firefighters run three miles and stop twice to discharge service pistols at a human-likeness target. They didn’t have five-year age groups, but it appears the best athletes were in their 40s, so take that, kiddie cops. In any case, Chris Stone’s photos from the event are pretty neat. (Sorry, I’m biased.)

May 30, 2015  One Comment

Rochelle Stevens celebrates meet’s 25th year with W45 WR in 200

Breaking a Merlene Ottey record is no small potatoes. Holding a meet for a quarter-century is pretty snazzy, too. But Rochelle Stevens is a pretty nifty lady. As USATF detailed Friday, “Celebrating a successful 25 years of her namesake track meet, two-time Olympic medalist Rochelle Stevens was honored with a national resolution from USA Track & Field, and she coincidentally broke a masters world record the same day. On the silver anniversary of the Rochelle Stevens Invitational, a grassroots track meet for inner-city youth in Collierville, Tennessee, Stevens added to the excitement, running the 200 in 23.81 for a world masters record in the women’s 44-49 age-group.” The listed WR is 23.82 by Merlene in 2006. Doncha love it when Olympians come out of the woodwork to take down legendary marks! Can’t wait to see what esle she has in store. Go Rocket Rochelle!

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May 29, 2015  9 Comments

Would Pre still be tearing up track had he not died 40 years ago?

Steve Prefontaine died 40 years ago Friday. Oregon papers are going crazy with retrospectives. I get it. He was a great athlete with great quotes and great iconoclast attitudes. He was funny. Wore a “Stop Pre” T-shirt. But would he have burned out? He was only 24 when he died, having taken fourth in the Munich 1972 Olympic 5,000. That’s young for a distance runner. He likely would have gone faster at the Montreal Games. “Pre brought the same urgent swagger to distance running that Muhammad Ali brought to boxing,” said one writer. “When Pre talked about running, he made it sound more macho than football, more illuminating than poetry.” He would have entered masters at age 40 in 1991. How might he have fared as a geezer? Wish he had made it to masters.

May 28, 2015  No Comments

Britain’s Cushen recalls when longest women’s event was 800

Bridget Cushen, secretary of the British Masters Athletics Federation and longtime correspondent for National Masters News, has been involved in track since the early 1960s, and recalls how in her day the longest event for women was 800 meters (880 yards). She also talks with amazement about the early days of women’s hammer throw. (She used to throw her husband’s hammer back to him.) Bridget has been involved in World Masters Athletics (or the WAVA predecessor) for decades. Great to see her share her story and origins of sports. “She herself competed as a Masters Athlete up until 2013,” says a YouTube description.

May 27, 2015  7 Comments

Video shows Kathy Bergen’s great position in WR takeoff jump

Kathy Bergen grew up long before Dick Fosbury came along, but her W75 world record jump Saturday at Orange Coast College shows how she’s mastered the flop. Her fast approach run of only 7-8 steps culminates with a great takeoff angle, and she glides over 1.21 meters (3-11 1/2) with a slight touch of the bar. (She went higher indoors this season.) Special thanks to fellow record-setter Peter Hlavin for the footage.

May 26, 2015  5 Comments

John Goldhammer ups own M60 American record in superweight

The ideally named John Goldhammer, who won the masters exhibition hammer at Mt. SAC a month ago, followed that up with an M60 American record in the superweight — 44 pounds. That’s according to a video posted May 20. It shows John spinning the monster implement in Scottsdale, Arizona — which gave me the willies. I worried about the camera getting smashed. His throw was 11.30 meters (37-0 3/4), which bettered his listed AR (there is no WR) of 11.11 (36-5) set in 2014. My only concern: Was a steel tape available? In any case, nice video and great throw, John!

May 25, 2015  5 Comments

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• About Ken Stone

  

  Ken Stone

  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...]
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