Anselm LeBourne claims WR for 800, but meet wasn’t sanctioned

Signboard notes Anselm's fourth-place time at Tuesday meet.

Signboard notes Anselm’s fourth-place time at Tuesday meet.

Returning to Icahn Stadium, the site of a previous record, Anselm LeBourne beat the listed M55 world best for 800 meters Tuesday in New York City. On Facebook, he posted that he’d run 2:01.63. That shatters a 13-year-old record by South Africa’s Stan Immelman. Only one problem. The USATF meet calendar indicates the meet, part of the New York Road Runners Tuesday Night Speed Series, is not sanctioned. Only marks from sanctioned meets are eligible for USATF records. (The listed M55 American record is 2:06.53 by Horace Grant in 2005.) No doubt Anselm ran fast. (Results haven’t been posted yet.) He’s already the listed indoor WR man for the 800 in M50 (1:59.62 in 2012). Anselm turned 55 in April, so he probably has some good marks left in him. Hope he makes it to nationals. In any case, great race, Anselm!

Anselm is No. 1 — unofficially.

Anselm is No. 1 — unofficially. But getting the record ratified is another issue.

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June 11, 2014

15 Responses

  1. Doug Thompson - June 11, 2014

    Wow, that is other-worldly! For a relatively young masters age group the gap between the old and the new world mark is huge (+2 seconds). Anselm LeBourne just keeps on rolling through the age groups, and obviously is still motivated to dominate.

  2. george haywood - June 11, 2014

    Anselm, your talent, dedication, and results are phenomenal. Congratulations on an incredibly good run. Now just make sure you reproduce this in a sanctioned meet, or better yet at nationals, so that you don’t have to worry about the torturous and dicey process of ratification. And I am confident you are planning on doing exactly that!

  3. MICHAEL DE JESUS - June 11, 2014

    HEY BUDDY, WELL DONE,WELL DONE!!!!!!

  4. Horace Grant - June 11, 2014

    Anselm, you are an amazing runner. Congratulations, on the first of what I am sure will be many records to fall in your new age group.

  5. Doug Thompson - June 11, 2014

    I just checked, and if the mark reported is accurate (2:01.63) then it represents the greatest gap in any age group between the #1 and #2 800 meter mark in the world’s history.

  6. Cornell - June 11, 2014

    Congrats Anselm, you continue to raise the bar!

  7. Matt B. - June 11, 2014

    Stunning!
    1:59.33 at age 52 so this was certainly possible for Anselm.
    Congratulations. I can only imagine what the 60 & 65 records will be in 5-10 years.

  8. Kevin F Forde - June 12, 2014

    I was fortunate enough to be trackside waiting for the next heat of the 800m when Anselm broke the World Record,while it’s an injustice this won’t be considered a World Record as the Tuesday Nite Speed Series isn’t considerd a sanctioned meet I’m confident Anselm could reproduce that form at another sanctioned meet and get the World Record he rightly fully deserves

  9. Mark Cleary - June 14, 2014

    Way to go Anselm-Congrats !

  10. Stan Immelman - June 16, 2014

    Good performance Anselm ! Better luck next time 🙂 There is also a Mr Raj Rathedi from our neighbouring country, Botswana, who is ‘after’ my WR. I was privileged to have run against the likes of Nolan Shaheed at the Worlds in 2001, shortly before turning 55.

    Kind regards

    Stan Immelman

  11. ToNy yOuNg - June 19, 2014

    Well done old(er) man!

  12. Earl Fee - June 20, 2014

    Anselm, it was good to hear you are as fast as ever. Congratulations . Keep it up. Also I can sympathize since it happened to me twice.

  13. Ron T Pate - June 20, 2014

    You had to see how Stan Immelman won the WMA outdoor 800 in Italy in 2007, after he had broke Nolan Shaheed’s 800 WR.

    Stan is a great 800 runner, as is Anselm. Many times world records have been bettered, but not in sanctioned meets, so that run will have to be called a world best, but not a world record.

    No matter what, Anselm still ran faster than the world record, and that can never be taken away from him. Great run…….now just do it again, but in a sanctioned meet, and have all the paperwork in order.

  14. Rob Lemke - July 24, 2014

    Last night Anselm ran 2:03.42 at a USATF-LI Summer Series meet in Hauppauge, NY. He notified us beforehand of his attempt to better the listed world record and our meet director helped him obtain all the necessary paperwork. Congratulations Anselm!

  15. yves - July 26, 2014

    Give to Anselm what is Ansem’s

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