Archive for June, 2010

Neni Lewis hammers W50 world record in the ball-and-chain

According to these results from the USATF Mid-Atlantic Masters Championships in Chester, Pennsylvania, Oneithea “Neni” Lewis spun the hammer 53.14 meters (174-4) and shattered the listed W50 world record of 51.73 (169-8) by Australia’s Marja Leena Parviainen in 1998. (It also beats the 52.24/171-5 by Anne Bellanger of France, noted on mastersathletics.net.) The old American […]

June 24, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Former 70-footer Rob Suelflohn entered in M50 shot at Sacramento

A masters mole points out that Rob Suelflohn, “who was a 70-foot thrower back in the day, has returned to compete this season.” He’s entered in the M50 shot, and over the weekend he posted a mark of 15.47 (50-9 1/4) with the 6-kilogram ball. He’s third on the seasonal list, however, behind Dennis Diaz […]

June 24, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Russia’s Shabunin reportedly nips M40 world record in 1500 — 2X!

Vyacheslav Shabunin, the Russian Olympian who turned 40 last September, reportedly has beaten Jim Sorensen’s listed world record in the 1500 twice this year. The IAAF hasn’t

June 24, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

M45 Tony Young superfit for Sacto nationals, but isn’t entered yet

Tony Young, the M45 mile star, isn’t yet listed in the Sacramento nationals Status of Entries, but man he’s in shape. At a June 16 all-comers meet in Shoreline, Washington, Tony ran 6:02 in the predict-a-mile and won the men’s 1500 in 4:13.3. Oh, and he took second in the men’s 3000 in 9:34.7. All […]

June 24, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  54 Comments

Douglas Kalembo nearly runs the 400 in 49 at age 49 (or 39?)

Douglas Kalembo, the 1988 Olympian for Zambia we told about in May, blasted the 4 in 50.2 seconds yesterday at an Emory University meet in Atlanta. Late next month he turns 50, and the M50 world record is Fred Sowerby’s legendary 51.39 from 1999. Doug’s reported birthdate of July 24, 1960, means he’ll run in […]

June 23, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

M55 Rich Burns ‘very surprised’ by his masterpiece mile in Portland

Rich Burns is a late bloomer. Kicked off his high school cross country team as a junior, he won league as a senior — but broke his foot before track season. So his first real splash as a trackster came at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, a suburb of Los Angeles. In October […]

June 23, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Geraldine Finnegan handed 2-month suspension in Kamloops case

Ireland’s Geraldine Finnegan can breathe easily now. The banned drug she took for her asthma and nasal congestion at Kamloops — and resulted in a positive dope test — will net her only a two-month suspension from competition, ending Saturday, June 26. See the official statement from WMA President Stan Perkins. By not throwing the […]

June 22, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Place your bets now: Will Lyndon Herzberg show in Des Moines?

According to the Status of Entries page for the masters men’s 100-meter dash at USA open nationals this weekend, Lyndon Herzberg, the supposed world-record holder for M55, is entered and declared for the Des Moines race. I’ve tried several ways to reach him for comment on his checkered past (entering crazy-ass seed times but not […]

June 22, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  28 Comments

Christel Donley adds W75 world record in heptathlon to collection

Colorado’s Christel Donley, the W75 multi-eventer who slays every record in her path, did it again over the weekend at the USATF National Combined Events Championships in Joplin, Missouri. She scored 5,416 points in the heptathlon, beating the listed W75 WR of 4,970 by fellow Yank Leonore McDaniels in 2003. On the men’s side, Chris […]

June 22, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  8 Comments

Val Barnwell tells The Washington Post: ‘We’re all on something’

Amy Shipley of The Washington Post has written the definitive article (so far) on efforts to impose drug-testing on USATF masters track. Read her story here. I spoke to Amy several weeks ago. Also quoted in the story are Gary Snyder, David Pain, Mary Trotto, Max Hamlyn and Bob Weiner. And she scored a beat […]

June 21, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  43 Comments