Bill Collins’ WR marks at Rice all-comers meet in dispute
Did Bill Collins pull a Usain Bolt last week — set world age-group records at 100 and 200? Hard to tell. Originally, Bill’s page on mastersrankings.com said he ran 11.39 and 23.31 at a Rice University all-comers meet June 12. Both times better his own listed M55 world records of 11.44 and 23.36. But when I contacted meet director Glen McMicken, he sent me results showing Bill had run 11.81 and 23.91. Oy, what a mess! Yesterday, Bill replied to my query, writing: “I will check with Glen tonight; the marks were announced right after the race, if they were changed, then I will go with what they report. I don’t want something I didn’t do, but the hand times . . . I was shown indicate a faster time. Hand times 10.99 and 23.00.” Still, John Seto of mastersrankings.com didn’t wait. He yanked the 11.39 and 23.31 marks off the site. (Update: Bill says he made the corrections, not John.) But not before I made this screen grab to show what it looked like for nearly a week:
Click for larger image.
In any case, Bill’s times won’t be submitted for record consideration, since no wind gauge was used. (And I don’t know if the meet had a USATF sanction.)
But when amazing times are posted, it’s hard to ignore them.
Pete Magill, at his YLFOR blog, couldn’t help but remark, in his weekly awards:
This week’s GOLD MEDAL goes to Bill Collins (age 58), who rallied from a stress fracture earlier this year to run the fastest M55 100 and 200 ever recorded. At the Rice All-Comers Meet (Houston, TX – June 12, 2009), Collins ran 11.39 for 100 meters and 23.31 for 200 meters. The current World and American records for the distances are held by … you got that right … Bill Collins. Collins ran 11.44 for 100 on April 23, 2008, and 22.36 for 200 on August 5, 2006.
The only reason I’m not calling his times “new world records” is because I have yet to verify wind readings for the races. Expect an update as soon as I hear back from Mr. Collins himself. In the meantime, congrations to Bill on adding another exceptional day of racing to his resume! …
UPDATE: Bill Collins reports that there were no wind readings, so there will be no records. In an email, he wrote, “No wind reading, so no record. It’s the first time I put something into a race since my injury. I am wearing a sleeve on my right leg to help support the leg which is doing it’s job. Hopefully we will get a reading next time out.” So Collins won’t add to his collection of world records this week. But the Younger Legs Gold Medal is his to keep!
I sent Glen McMicken another note, asking him to doublecheck the marks he sent me. But he hasn’t replied yet. However, you should know that Glen has world-class stat cred. He compiles seasonal lists for Track & Field News.
In fact, he also works for USATF to confirm marks submitted by folks hoping to qualify for the Olympic Trials and U.S. open nationals. So I doubt he’d send me bad data.
Here’s what Glen sent me:
SELECTED RESULTS FROM RICE ALL-COMERS MEET ON JUNE 12, 2009 at Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
note: Races were timed with a pyroflash video-timing system
Men’s LJ: 1. Tyrone Smith (BER) 7.92m (w +0.8); 2. Joe Allen (USA) 7.86m (w +1.6); 3. Kendle Davis (USA) 7.59m (w +0.8); 4. Clayton Chaney (USA) 7.25m (w +0.6); 5. Queito Teasley (USA) 7.13m (w +0.4).
Women’s LJ: 1. Ola Sesay (USA) 6.61m (w +1.6); 2. Latesha Garner (USA) 6.00m (w +1.3); 3. Margaret Glover (USA) 5.96m (w +0.8); 4. Dayo Ogunniyi (USA) 5.90m (w +1.3).
Men’s DT: 1. Teremine White (USA) 53.94m.
Men’s HJ: 1. Cedric Norman (USA) 2.10; 2. Babatunde Babalola 2.10m.
Masters Men’s 200: 1. Bill Collins 23.91; 2. Will Wojeiechowski 24.58.
Men’s 100: 1. Preston Perry (USA) 10.22; 2. Carey LaCour (USA) 10.28; 3. Jerome Miller (USA) 10.63; 4. Antoine Adams (St. Kitt’s) 10.66.
Men’s 400: 1. Jeremy Davis (USA) 46.19; 2. Joe Irabor (USA) 48.76.
Women’s 100: 1. Meritzer Williams (St. Kitt’s) 11.60; 2. Tanika Liburd (St. Kitt’s) 11.87; 3. Sheriffa Whyte (St. Kitt’s) 12.10.
Masters Men’s 100: 1. Bill Collins 11.81.
Women’s 200: 1. Meritzer Williams (St. Kitt’s) 23.70; 2. Sheriffa Whyte (St. Kitt’s) 24.30.
Men’s 110H: 1. Jerome Miller (USA) 14.01.
7 Responses
Ken This was a mistake with a new timer, the meet being short handed he announce the wrong times at the meet, he had a few other mis-haps. I wnet in and made the corrections myself no one from the rankings did anything, you reported that wrong. I do apologize to all for the mistake. I have never taken anything I didn’t earn, in the past and wouldn’t do it now. This sport is much greater then marks and winning, it’s about people and the relationships many of us have built over the years.
Bill Collins is a class act all the way. He will get the records.
He ALREADY has the records! And others.
Bill, thanks for the clarification on who updated your mastersrankings page. I apologize for assuming it was John Seto.
However, I’m not yet 100 percent certain that Glen’s results are accurate. He hasn’t responded to my email queries. Your hand times of 11 and 23 made FAT times of 11.39 and 23.31 quite plausible!
Heck, once you’re all recovered, you might go 11.2 and 23.2!
Best of luck.
Ken,
I was there (160cm in HJ), there were some problems. Dont blame Bill for that. We still appreciate that Rice is putting up these meets.They dont always have as much help as they need. Milan
Actually, I provided the wrong information. I was there on june 19. But I am still convinced that it was not Bill’s fault.
Glen McMicken writes me about the results at the June 12 meet: “Typed as received. Don’t know if the guy doing the timing had done it before. That’s all I know. Well, that and it was an all-comers meet in 95-degree weather using pyroflash timing and the only wind gauge was being used at the long jump.”
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