Eurovets finish with 10 world records, and some doubts
We two Stones (the lovely Chris and skinny Ken) are heading for Spokane today, and who knows how my Net connection will be on the road. But here’s some newsy news for ya, anyway: The just-completed Eurovets championships in Slovenia had some great performances, but maybe not as good as they think. The site boasts 10 world records set. But an informed witness doubts that.
One record of interest to Yanks is the M50 4×4. In Slovenia, the British team of James Tennyson, Howard Moscrop, Ian Broadhurst and David Elderfield clocked 3:35.31 to beat the listed age-group WR of 3:35.88 set by Steffes, Mathis, Adamson and the great Larry Colbert at Eugene worlds in 1989. The Brits averaged 53.83 per leg. Not bad.
Anyway, here’s what I hear from a masters mole:
Confusion abounds about records from Ljubljana. The organisers have posted a list of championship, European and World records they say were set there, but the list only covers the first five days of the championships (it has since been updated), and is full of errors, as even I can see with my amateur eye. Clearly they were not comparing with any sort of yup to date list of performances.
All results seem to be on the Ljubljana site, though. Pity there are no proper photo galleries, yet they put recent time and effort into posting a shot of Merlene Ottey on the home page, despite the fact she never ran.
Worth a look at the 200m finals results. Darren Scott of Britain ran a superb 21.15 to win M35, but was later given a big following wind reading. The races immediately before and after his have hardly a puff of wind. My recollection is that there was no sudden gale down the finishing straight, except maybe from the gasps of the crowds.
Another piece of news from our friends up north:
The CMAA has instituted a Canadian Masters Athlete Of The Year Award for the first time. The Male and Female AOTY winners were selected by the CMAA Executive from a list of nominees. The winners: Earl Fee and Carol Lafayette-Boyd (both of whom have been regulars at USA masters nationals).
Doug Smith, the Ontario masters enchilada and photostud, adds: “Their accomplishments in 2007 are too numerous to list – but just check out the Riccione list for some of them! Among the runners-up are Rhona Trott and Garry Bachman (both of Ontario). The Canadian Masters Athletes Of The Year Awards for 2007 were presented at the banquet by Brian Keaveney, president of the CMAA.â€
Here are the mighty Canadian Masters of the Year:
3 Responses
Re 4 x 400m M50 – Tennyson James not James Tennyson, although the mistake is understandable.
Glad the W50 records are being confirmed as WRs. In the stadium, the supply of information to the announcers wasn’t very good, and they seldom got wind of these pieces of news. The first confirmation the girls got was at the GB Team party later the same day, after the championships were over. The announcers had only been given the meet programme to work from, and this only listed Championship records. Thus, they were able to celebrate new CRs, but seldom, if ever, able to spot those which were also ERs and WRs.
Worth also noting that Joylyn Saunders-Mullin (individual 100/200 and 400 winner) who was part of the W50 relay squad is a W55, though you’d never know it unless I told you!
The Championships are also claiming Howard Moscrop’s M50 400 hurdles as a WR, but remember that his Slovenia time was slower than his storming run earlier in the month in Birmingham at the British Champs (see earlier blog entry on this).
And, lest it go unremarked, well done David Elderfield, for five M50 golds – 100/200/400 and both relays. All in great times, too.
Absolutely false criticism, Ken. Doubtless and again (!) excellent work of die EVAA-statistician Ivar Söderling (Sweden). He has concluded in his final report of die EC (after several reports in the daysbefore, when the EC were running – day five too- ):
“In European Veterans Championship (EVACS) in Ljubljana I have noted 19 World Records, 33 European Records and 113 Championship Records. In the heat (about 30 degrees above zero) it has been hard to break records in the long and medium distances…” More at
http://www.evaa.nu/records/2008/0806ljubljana.pdf
If you will criticize someone you should look to WMA. The responsible person S.P. is not able to update the record liste. Recently app. 60 (!) records which are listed in the WMA recordlists are improved by the athletes.
Robert
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