Bergen still boppin’ — raises record in W65 high jump
Kathy Bergen of La Canada (pronounced Cun-YAH-da) speaks one language well: world records. After setting jump marks in Boston and indoor sprints bests earlier, she drove a few hours south to Santa Ana today and flopped over what I’m pretty sure was 1.35 (4-5) to break Rietje Dijkman’s 2-year-old world outdoor record (1.34) in the W65 high jump. Her witnesses are pretty solid — among them Ed Caruthers, a coach at Santa Ana College (the meet venue), who stood next to Dick Fosbury on a Mexico City podium in 1978. (Straddler Ed took silver at that Games. He’s almost 61 but doesn’t jump; knee has gone south. He limps.)
Scores came out for the low-key meet — the annual John Ward Masters Games, which dodged a bullet. It was contested in low-70s weather, partly cloudy skies — a half-day before the onset of a forecat 3-day rainstorm.
The timing method was low-key, too — electronic stopwatches by mostly athletes from Coach Al Siddons’ track team, with help from Chapman University coach (and 1980 Olympian) Anna Wlodarczyk ). But given that many SoCal athletes were shaking off cobwebs of a long rainy winter, they were happy to be given a mark slightly faster than what they’d see from automatic timing.
Among them were some dashmen back from Linz worlds and Boston nationals, including Jim Chinn and Greg Pizza (pronounced PIE-zah). M45 Jim ran a 23.5 unpressed in his heat. M50 Greg ran fast in the 100 — way ahead of me. Too way ahead of me.
Results should be posted eventually at Andy Hecker’s Web site.
One unassuming entrant at the meet — in the 100 alone — was a recently turned 40-year-old named Jeff Williams. Yes, the former world-class sprinter and 1996 Olympian — and one-time American Record holder in the indoor deuce (20.40). I didn’t catch his time, but his start was impressive, powerful. When I asked him if he still trained with a weighted sled, he laughed and said that kind of workout would set him back six months. He has an acute appreciation for his limitations, but I don’t think he’ll be satisfied with mediocre times.
His outdoor PRs: 10.02 and 19.87.
Yeah, I’d say he has potential.
Welcome to masters, Jeff.
One Response
Congrats to Kathy!!! I grew up in La Canada and developed as a runner on the steep hills that feed that valley (okay, “canyon”), and I’m thrilled for her success. Keep jumping high!!! And then higher!!!!
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