Records. Don’t get me started. When it comes to world masters records, I seem to have no end to gripes. Well, let’s look at the record. Tonight I updated my records page. Then I compared official World Masters Athletics records in the same age groups (mainly M40 and W35 and W40). The results: We agree on a meager 57 percent of the records we both list in said age groups. What’s up with that? I’m trying to find out.

I redid my records page based on the latest set of masters men’s 40-plus and women’s 35-plus and 40-plus outdoor records submitted by Peter Matthews of Britain, chairman of NUTS, a worldwide group of track statisticans. Peter’s work is the absolute best.
Some of his new marks are four or five years old. But in the masters game, it’s better late than never. I’m posting the new set here to show what kind of idiotic tangle we have in world masters records — with WMA recognizing one set (of mostly inferior marks) and Matthews highlighting performances often made outside the masters milieu (in such obscure meets as the 2000 USA Olympic Trials and the 2001 World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, Alberta.)
I compare marks only in events where WMA and I both list records. Listed first are masterstrack.com’s M40-plus men’s records. The WMA’s M40 are listed next.
In rare cases where a WMA record is better than masterstrack.com’s, an * is added:
100m 10.61 Stefan Burkart (12/9/57) SUI Neufeld 7/4/00
WMA: 10.84 Erik Oostweegel (NED) 40 6-10-00
200m 21.86 Bill Collins (11/20/50) USA Spokane 8/15/92
WMA: Same
400m 47.86 Eric Roeske (9/26/60) NED Potsdam 8/ 21/02
WMA: 48.10 Rolf Gisler (SWI) 41 7-22-95
800m 1:50.69 Colm Rothery IRE, 2000 Stretford, GBR 9/2/00 (Johnny Gray, USA, born 6/19/60, ran 1:48.81 indoors at Atlanta, Georgia, on 3/2/01)
WMA: Same but calls Rothery’s mark pending and doesn’t note Gray mark
1500m 3:44.89 Luiz Jose Gonsalves (4.12.58) SPAIN Rio de Janeiro 14 June 1999
WMA: 3:47.64 Steve Scott (USA) 40 6-1-96
Mile 4:02.53 David Moorcroft (4/10/53) GBR Belfast 6/19/93; 3:58.15 (indoors) Eamonn Coghlan (11/24/52) IRL Boston 4/20/94
WMA: Same
3000m 8:05.08 Martti Vainio (12/30/50) FIN Mikkell 6/91
WMA: Same
5000m 13:43.15 Mohamed Ezzher (4/26/60) FRA Sotteville 7/3/00
WMA: 13:45.6 Lucien Rault (FRA) 40 5-21-76
10,000m 28:30.88 Martti Vainio (12/30/50) FIN Hengelo 6/25/91
WMA: Same
3000m steeplechase 8:41.5 Gaston Roelants (2/5/37) BEL Oslo 7/6/77
WMA: Same
110m (39-inch) hurdles 13.96 Karl Smith (41) USA, Brisbane, Australia 7/12/01
WMA: Same
400m hurdles 52.62 Antônio Eusébio Dias Ferreira (3/2/60) BRA Rio de Janeiro 7/23/00
WMA: 52.7 Stan Druckrey (USA) 40 7-8-89
FIELD RECORDS FOR MEN 40 AND OLDER
High jump 2.15 (7-0 5/8) Glen Conley (1957) USA Troy, New York 8/2/97
WMA: 2.11 Jim Barrineau (USA) 40 7-19-95
Pole vault 5.50 (18-1/2) Larry Jessee (3/31/52) USA El Paso 8/24/96 (USATF and WAVA have ratified this mark, but it is widely doubted)
WMA: Same
Long jump 7.685 (25-2 1/2) Aaron Sampson (9/20/61) USA Cedar City, Utah, 6/21/02
WMA: 7.57 Hans Schicker (FRG) 41 7-16-89
Triple jump 16.58 (54-4 3/4) Ray Kimble (4/19/53) USA Edinburgh 7/2/93
WMA: Same
Shot put 21.41 (70-3) Brian Oldfield (6/1/45) USA Innsbruck 8/22/85
WMA: Same
Discus 69.46 (227-11) Al Oerter (9/19/36) USA Wichita 5/31/80
WMA: Same (but lists mark as 69.48)
Hammer 80.03 (262-6) Vasiliy Sidorenko (5/1/61) RUS Tula 7/14/01
WMA: 75.66 Yurly Syedikh(URS) 40 6-29-95
Javelin 82.24 (269-10) Peter Blank (4/10/62) GER Rehlingen 5/20/02
WMA: 78.84 Jorma Markus (FIN) 41 6-21-94
Now here is how masterstrack.com and WMA compare on women’s records:
TRACK RECORDS FOR WOMEN 35 AND OLDER
100m 10.74 Merlene Ottey (5/10/60) JAM Milan 9/7/96
WMA: Same
200m 21.93 Merlene Ottey (5/10/60) JAM Brusells 8/25/95
WMA: Same
400m 50.27 Jearl Miles-Clark (9/4/66) USA Madrid 9/20/02
WMA: 50.56 Aurelia Penton (CUB) 35 7-15-78
800m 1:56.53 Lyubov Gurina (8/6/57) RUS Hechtel 7/30/94
WMA: Same
1500m 3:57.73 Maricica Puica (7/29/50) ROM Brusells 8/30/85
WMA: Same
Mile 4:17.33 Maricica Puica (7/29/50) ROM 8/21/85
WMA: Same
3000m 8:23.23 Edith Masai (4/4/67) KEN Monaco 7/19/02
WMA: 8:27.83 Maricica Puica (ROM) 35 9-7-85
5000m 14:45.35 Regina Jacobs (8/28/63) USA Sacramento 7/21/00
WMA: 15:11.28 Lynn Jennings (USA) 35 7-10-95
10,000m 31:20.28 Ingrid Kristiansen (3/21/56) NOR Hechtel 8/10/91
WMA: Same
2000m steeple 6:30.83 Leslie Lehane (3/12/63) USA Orono, Maine, 31 July 1998
WMA: Same
100m hurdles 12.40 Gail Devers (11/19/66) USA Lausanne 7/2/02
WMA: 12.47 Ludmila Engquist (SWE) 35 8-21-99
400m hurdles 52.94 Marina Stepanova (5/1/50) RUS Tashkent 9/17/86
WMA: Same
FIELD RECORDS FOR WOMEN 35 AND OLDER
High jump 1.96 (6-5) Inga Babakova (6/27/67) UKR Thessaloniki, Greece 7/24/02
WMA: 2.03* Inga Babakova (UKR) 35 7-4-01
Pole vault 4.22 (13-10) Gabriela Mihalcea (27.1.64) ROM Dreux 11 June 1999 4.25i (13-11 1/4) Gabriela Mihalcea (27.1.64) ROM Pireas 13 February 1999
WMA: Same
Long jump 6.99 (22-9) Heike Daute-Drechsler (12/16/64) GER Sydney 9/29/00
WMA: Same
Triple jump 14.23 (46-8 1/4) Natalya Kayukova 12/10/66 RUS Tula 6/1/02
WMA: 14.02 Galina Christyakova (SVK) 35 8-2-97
Shot put 21.46 (70-4 3/4) Larisa Peleshenko (2/29/64) RUS Moscow 8/26/00; 21.47i (70-5 1/4) Helena Fibingerova (7/31/49) Jablonec 2/9/85
WMA: Same but listed as pending.
Discus 69.60 (228-4) Faina Melnik (7/9/45) RUS Donetsk 9/9/80
WMA: Same
Hammer 67.40 Alla Davydova 5/21/66 RUS Cheboksary 7/13/02
WMA: 61.68 Lyubov Karpova (RUS) 37 9-4-94
Javelin (new specs) 64.89 (212-10 1/2) Yekaterina Ivakina (12/4/64) RUS Oslo 7/28/00
WMA (old specs): 67.00 Tuula Laaksala (FIN) 35 9-10-88
TRACK RECORDS FOR WOMEN 40 AND OLDER
100m 10.99 Merlene Ottey (5/10/60) JAM Thessaloniki 8/30/00
WMA: 11.99 Zdenke Mosika (CZE) 40 7-20-97
200m 24.66A Sara Montecinos (1954) CHI Cali 3/19/94
(nonaltitude best: 24.70 Zdenka Musinská (4/14/57) CZE Bilina 9/14/97)
WMA: 24.84 Phil Raschker (USA) 42 8-3-89
400m 53.68A Sara Montecinos (3/8/54) CHILE Cali 3/19/94
(nonaltitude best: 53.73 Sara Montecinos (3/8/54) CHI Santiago de Chile 9/12/94)
WMA: Same
800m 1:59.25 Yekaterina Podkopayeva (6/11/52) RUS Luxembourg 6/30/94
WMA: Same
1500m 3:59.78 Yekaterina Podkopayeva (6/11/52) RUS Nice 7/18/94
WMA: Same
Mile 4:23.78 Yekaterina Podkopayeva (6/11/52) RUS Rome 6/9/93
WMA: Same
3000m 9.02.83(i) Lyubov Kremlyova 12/21/61 RUS Moscow 1/22/02
WMA: 9:11.2 Joyce Smith (GBR) 40 4-30-78
Note: WMA’s listed W40 indoor record is:
W40 9:15.91 Nicole Leveque (FRA) 44 2-26-95
5000m 15:20.59 Elena Fidatov (7/24/60) ROM Bucharest 8/7/00
WMA: 15:51.7 Nicole Leveque (FRA) 43 6-12-94
10,000m 32:12.07 Nicole Leveque (1/27/51) FRA Helsinki 8/13/94
WMA: Same
80m hurdles 11.25 Leslie Estwick (40) CAN Brisbane, Australia 7/12/01
WMA: Same
400m hurdles 58.3 Gowry Retchakan (6/21/60) GBR Hoo 9/3/00
WMA: 62.08 Maria Sangous Espina (ESP) 40 6-22-95
p61.02 Mary Ferreira Santos (BRA) 40 7-7-01
FIELD RECORDS FOR WOMEN 40 AND OLDER
High jump 1.76 (5-9 1/4) Debbie Brill (3/10/53) CAN, Gateshead 8/6/99
WMA: Same
Pole vault 3.45 (11-3 3/4) Dawn Hartigan (11/13/56) AUS Melbourne 11/20/99
WMA: 3.50* Dawn Hartigan (AUS) 44 3-19-01
Long jump 6.41 (21-0 1/2) Vera Olenchenko (3/21/59) RUS Rostov-na-Donu
6/26/00
WMA: 6.21 Franciska Janssen (NED) 40 7-7-85
Triple jump 12.31 (40-4 3/4) Conceição Geremias (7/23/56) BRA São Paulo 5/24/97
WMA: 12.48* Conceicao Geremiur (BRA) 41 7-23-97
Shot put 19.05 (62-6) Antonina Ivanova (12/25/32) RUS Orel 8/28/73 19.16i (62-10 1/2) Antonina Ivanova (12/25/32) Moscow 2/24/74
WMA: Same
Discus 67.10 (220-2) Ellina Zvereva (11/16/60) BLR Edmonton 8/11/01
WMA: Same
Hammer 52.67 (172-9 1/2) Margrit Duss (12/5/58) SUI Genève 6/30/01
WMA: 54.07* Oneithea Lewis (USA) 42 7-7-02
Javelin 64.06 (210-2) Tessa Sanderson (3/14/56) UK, London 7/12/96
WMA: Same
The final tally:
WMA and masterstrack.com agree on 33 records in the age ranges given.
WMA records are superior to masterstrack.com records in four cases.
Masterstrack.com records are superior to WMA records in 21 cases.
To put it bluntly, this is freaking ridiculous.
World records are meant to recognize the BEST in human achievement, not the “best when accompanied by certain vetted paperwork from the athlete’s national organizing body.”
The marks above are those from the younger masters age groups — where elite performances are better publicized. Older age groups reveal similar disputes. That’s a matter for later discussion.
But for now, World Masters Athletics owes us an explanation for why at least 21 amazing performances — given the Housekeeping Seal of Approval by one of the world’s pre-eminent track statisticians — are not listed by WMA as outdoor records.
I welcome your comments.