Ed Burke in mighty Q&As: ‘I’m trying to beat myself all the time’
Hammer legend Ed Burke won’t be carrying the American flag at the 2016 Rio Games, but his appetite for throwing is still Olympian at age 73. In a wonderful three-part interview with hammer guru Martin Bissinger, Ed remarks: “I must admit my competitive juices began flowing as I read that Boris Zaitchouk and Arild Busterud had just broken my age 65 masters world mark in Brazil. I would like a chance to meet them head on. I’m trying to beat myself all the time. That’s always the quest, but it could be more fun!” He also tells how he came to throw in masters: “Well by that time I had retired [after the 1984 Games], sold my sports club, and had time on my hands. I love to throw as you know. I heard of the World Masters Games in Edmonton in 2005 and It turned out I had fun … It’s not a matter of wanting to compete against other throwers, rather just meet or beat my best mark.” See Part 1 of the interview (The Beginning), Part 2 (The Comebacks) and Part 3 (Youth Development and Carry the American Flag). Great stuff!
Ed holds the M70 world record in the hammer and will be shooting for M75 in 15 months. He lost his M65 record recently.
3 Responses
If you’d like to read them, best hurry on over before they disappear behind Martin’s paywall.
There are a lot of fine human beings I have had occasion to meet and compete with in my time as a Masters thrower. Ed Burke is the one competitor on the circuit I have tried to model myself after, both with his competitiveness and his demeanor before, during and after meets. I’m a fan of the sport, so I knew of Ed Burke ever since I started throwing hammer in 1973. Having observed him from a distance, I got a chance to meet him in Lisle and it was a moment I’ll always remember. He was gracious and accommodating as I stumbled over my words while introducing myself to Ed. Still, he made me feel at ease. What a gentleman!
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