Trent Lane at 101 will be the oldest at Sacramento worlds in July

Trent Lane in 2006.

At Lahti worlds in 2009, the late Alfred Proksch had the honor of being the lone M100 entrant. At Sacramento 2011, that distinction falls to Trent Lane. Like Alfred, Trent is primarily a thrower. I met Trent at Charlotte nationals in 2006 and am thrilled to see him back in the game. He’ll get more publicity as organizers of Sacramento worlds ramp up their public promotion. Mexico’s Maria Ramirez vda de Bañuelos, about 94, may be the oldest female entrant. She’ll be challenged in the sprints by Canada’s Olga Kotelko, who turned 92 in March. Notable in the latest press release — issued yesterday (and with a correction in the marathon date) — says: “More than 4,800 athletes from 93 countries, ranging in age from 35 to 101, have entered the 19th World Masters Athletics (WMA) Outdoor Stadia Championships. … The WMA Championships will provide the capital region with an estimated economic benefit of $23 million, according to the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.”


The release quoted John McCasey of the Sacramento Sports Commission as saying: “We want to showcase Sacramento in the best possible light while also providing the athletes with the facilities and organization needed to perform at their best. We’ve got a great team in place. I think it will be a tremendous event.”

We also learn: “Of the 4,804 registered athletes, 1,915 are from the United States. Canada has the second-largest group of entrants with 215, followed by Germany (212), India (210), Great Britain and Northern Ireland (195), Mexico (194), Australia (164), France (125) and Italy (101). Eleven of the 93 countries represented in Sacramento have one entrant apiece, including Senegal, Belize, Fiji, Liberia, Paraguay and U.S. Virgin Islands. There will be no admission charge for spectators.”

Some other fun facts about worlds:

Olympians who have entered next month’s WMA event include:

• South Africa’s Zola Pieterse (nee Budd), the teenage prodigy who set several world records and was involved in the infamous tripping
incident with Mary Decker Slaney at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Pieterse will compete in women’s cross country in
Sacramento.

• Willie Banks, the former world record holder in the men’s triple jump and a member of three U.S. Olympic teams.

• Jearl Clark, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time Olympian who is a member of the USATF Hall of Fame.

• Duncan Macdonald, a former U.S. record holder in the 5,000 meters.

• Al Joyner, the 1984 Olympic champion in the triple jump.

• Ed Burke, a three-time Olympian who carried the U.S. flag during the opening ceremonies at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

• Mohinder Gill, a world-ranked triple jumper in the early 1970s from India who competed collegiately for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

• And Hans Lagerqvist, a Swede who was one of the world’s top pole vaulters in the 1970s.

Top Sacramento-area entrants include:

• Liz Palmer (Folsom), who will be one of the favorites in the W50 sprints and hurdles.

• Kevin Morning (Roseville), a former world record holder in the M45 200 meters and double gold medalist at the 1997 and 2001 WMA
Championships.

• John Mansoor (El Dorado Hills), the longtime race director of the California International Marathon who will compete in M55 distance
events.

• Rod Jett (Sacramento), a former Hiram Johnson High School and University of California hurdler who now coaches track at Jesuit High
School.

Lots of Olympians left out, including our high jump friend Jim Barrineau. Post any other Olympians you see.

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June 11, 2011

8 Responses

  1. Tom Phillips - June 12, 2011

    Website in “Worlds in USA over-run by Americans” shock-horror story. The rest of us might bring a few athletes, of course.

  2. Duncan Greenshields - June 12, 2011

    Paul Osland, former Canadian Olympian & Commonwealth Games 800m & 4×4 runner is entered in the 4 & 8

  3. Gary - June 12, 2011

    What can you say…speechless

  4. Andrew Hecker - June 12, 2011

    Henry Andrade fills both roles. He is a graduate of Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento and a 1996 Olympian for the Cape Verde Islands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Andrade He’s entered in both hurdles, as he was in yesterday’s West Region meet.

  5. Rob D'Avellar - June 12, 2011

    Another former Olympian not listed in the press release: Patricia Porter, W45 High Jump, 1988 Seoul Olympics

  6. peter taylor - June 13, 2011

    Yikes is that a low number. Only 4,804? Amazing. Buffalo had 5,335 16 years ago when the US population was far smaller and at a time when men had to be 40 to participate in worlds (there are hundreds of men entered in Sac Worlds in the M35 group).

    Wow. Oh, well, there will be a lot of good athletes participating.

  7. Lesley Richardson - June 14, 2011

    Peter I think is just a sign of the times and the economic troubles the world is currently seeing. I certainly know of a lot of Brits that are not travelling purely because of financial reasons. I have just about scraped the money together this time myself.

  8. peter taylor - June 14, 2011

    I concur, Lesley, that economic considerations probably rank no. 1 as an explanation for the very modest turnout. Did not say that even though I thought it.

    One person pointed out that it is a much longer flight from Europe to Sacramento than it is from Europe to Buffalo. True, but I don’t think you will find a nonstop flight from Charles de Gaulle (Paris), Heathrow (London), or Frankfurt (Germany) to Buffalo.

    Thus, you would have to take two flights to go from Europe to Buffalo, and in many cases you could make it in two flights from Europe to Sacramento (in other cases, three flights).

    Oh, well, it will be a good meet, I am sure.

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