M40 Calvin Davis ran 400 in 45.04 in 2013? IAAF says so, strangely

Note 45.04 on 2013 IAAF list.

Note Calvin’s 45.04 on 2013 IAAF list.

Mastersrankings.com says M40 Calvin Davis ran 400 meters in 45.04 seconds on June 5, 2013, in New Orleans. Yeah, right. (The listed WR is 47.81 by Italy’s Enrico Saraceni.) But wait! USATF says Calvin’s all-time best is 45.04, and all-athletics.com says that time was set June 5, 1993, in New Orleans. Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Guy runs 45.04 twice — 20 years apart on the same month, day and place. So I’m ready to laugh it off until I spot Calvin’s IAAF profile — which says he ran 45.04 at age 41 in 2013. Worse, the 2013 IAAF outdoor list (see original here) adds to the outrage by repeating the 2013 fraud. (USATF Calendar has no record of a June 5, 2013, meet in New Orleans, BTW.) Calvin was a star. Won bronze in 400 hurdles in the Atlanta Games. But he didn’t clock 45 post-40. How did IAAF allow this? I’m looking into it.

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December 9, 2014

7 Responses

  1. Ken Stone - December 10, 2014

    Meanwhile, Chris Brown’s M35 WR of 44.59 goes unrecognized.
    http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/bahamas/chris-brown-171732#progression

    Listed WR is 45.76 by Ibrahima Wade of France.

    http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/outdoor-men

  2. Ken Stone - December 10, 2014

    John Seto of mastersrankings.com writes me:

    I converted and inserted all the IAAF 2013 and 2014 lists back in late July. Subsequently, I noticed that there are a few very odd things. Thank you for pointing this out. It is obviously a mistake as he couldn’t have run this on a Wednesday, 20 years after the time he did the same result before (thanks for letting me know and your great research). Mark is deleted.

  3. Weia Reinboud - December 10, 2014

    Here Chris Brown’s is too: http://www.apulanta.fi/matti/yu/aars_Men.html#400m

  4. Matt B. - December 10, 2014

    Maciej Leszczynski Poland 1:45.57. Age 46 years 8 months? Hengelo May 29th, 2011
    Not on Iaaf list for 2011

  5. Matt B. - December 10, 2014

    4 Marcin LewandowskiPOL1:45.47. HENGELO 2011

  6. Ken Stone - December 10, 2014

    The Polish guy’s 1:45.47 seems far-fetched.

    Nothing about 800 on his profile here:
    http://www.all-athletics.com/en-us/athlete/63495

  7. Andrew Hecker - December 15, 2014

    This is the same Calvin Davis who won an Olympic Bronze medal in 1996 in the 400 hurdles, with the worst hurdle form on record (but he was fast between the hurdles).

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