JANUARY 1965
This issue of Track and Field News with Peter Snell, the 1964 Athlete of the Year, on the cover, is a wondrous thing to behold. Just holding it 50 years later gives one the warm fuzzies.
For an excellent 20 minute New Zealand produced documentary on Peter Snell, refer to link below.
It lists the top 50 marks for each event, the top 50 US marks, the top 15-25 high school marks, the top 20 indoor marks and the top 15-20 frosh-JC marks. More significantly (and subjectively) it ranks the world's top ten athletes in each event and names the Athlete of the Year in both track events and field events in the world, US, Europe, college, JC, high school, cross country and indoor.
If one wants to know who was the world's sixth best steeplechaser, the athlete with the nineteenth best discus throw or the eighth best high school half miler, it's here. An aging track fan could settle in with a hot cup of cocoa and be good for the evening.
What it doesn't have is many results of recent meets. The indoor season is slow to get started. Down under, the Australian and New Zealand seasons are limping to a close. That said, they go out with a bang, not a whimper, as Ron Clarke adds another world record to his already impressive collection.
When the runners reacted to the starting pistol in the 5000 meter race in Hobart, Australia onJanuary 16 the world record is 13:35.0 set seven years before by Vladimir Kuts.
Thirteen minutes, thirty-four and six tenths later the record belongs to Ron Clarke. How he did this remains unclear. There are two stories, two pages apart, on this race. They agree that he ran solo, winning by a full lap. They also agree that the first mile went off in 4:19.5 and three miles were covered in 13:10.5. The second mile is in dispute. One story has him at8:47, the other at 8:52. No matter, in both he breaks the record. He now holds world records at 3 miles, 5000 meters, 6 miles and 10,000 meters.
Thirteen minutes, thirty-four and six tenths later the record belongs to Ron Clarke. How he did this remains unclear. There are two stories, two pages apart, on this race. They agree that he ran solo, winning by a full lap. They also agree that the first mile went off in 4:19.5 and three miles were covered in 13:10.5. The second mile is in dispute. One story has him at8:47, the other at 8:52. No matter, in both he breaks the record. He now holds world records at 3 miles, 5000 meters, 6 miles and 10,000 meters.
Franz Stampfl has a young Australian he says will be a great miler. The 19 year old ran 4:11.0 last month and has PRs of 48.8 and 1:49.8. Keep the name Ralph Doubell in mind and we'll see if he proves Franz right.
Need to know a bit more about Franz Stampfl?
The US indoor season is underway with a yawn. The San Francisco Examiner Invitational must have been run on the worst indoor track in recent memory. There is a photo of Billy Mills winning the mile over Olympic 1500 finalist Alan Simpson in 4:08.1 thereby earning the outstanding performer award.
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| Bill Toomey |
The most surprising victories are by decathlete Bill Toomey who wins the 160 and 440 yard races, collecting the scalps of Paul Drayton and Mike Larabee in the first and Larabee, Jack Yerman and Olympic intermediate hurdles bronze medalist John Cooper in the latter. Toomey's times are 16.8 and 50.2, giving him a comfortable four tenths margin in both. The 160 is run solo. (I paid money to see a guy run a lap all by himself?)
The following week the Knights of Columbus meet is held in Boston. Joe Lynch runs a 4:06.0 mile and is named the outstanding athlete. 'Nuff said.
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| Ralph Boston |
Things pick up the next week at the LA Invitational. Ralph Boston leaps 26-5, the third best ever indoors. Bill Crothers doubles in the 600 and 1000 (1:10.5 and 2:12.8). USC freshman, Earl McCullouch, scores the first victory of his college career, beating Rex Cawley in the 60 hurdles in 7.2. The best race of the meet sees George Young blaze a 58.3 final lap to beat Billy Mills in the two mile, 8:41.2 to 8:44.8 with Gerry Lindgren third in 8:47.2.
The Athletes of the Year are as follows. (note: If the AOY is a track athlete, the best field athlete will be named as the “other” and visa-verse.) World: Peter Snell (Dallas Long), US: Bob Hayes (Dallas Long), European: Gaston Roelants (Jozef Schmidt), US Open: Dallas Long (Mike Larrabee), US Collegiate: Bob Hayes (John Rambo), Junior College: Ed Caruthers (Bob Delany), Collegiate Frosh: Randy Matson (Charlie Greene), High School: Jerry Lindgren (Paul Wilson), Cross Country: Elmore Banton, Indoor: Wendell Mottley, Most Outstanding Performance in a Single Meet: Billy Mills, Olympic 10,000.
The February report, coming up soon, will be more fun. Stay tuned.
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