First week tally at Lyon worlds: USA has 24 golds, 62 medals

Reggie Pendland and his M45 100 gold. (See story below.)

Reggie Pendland and his M45 100 gold. (See story below.)

Bob Weiner writes from Lyon: “In the first week of the World Masters Athletics Championships ongoing in Lyon, France, the USA team has won 24 golds to date and broken four world masters records and tied one. The team has amassed 62 medals overall. In individual highlights: Bruce McBarnette, 57 (Sterling VA), won his 12th world title in the high jump, the most of any high jumper in history. World marks have been broken by Flo Meiler (W81) in the W80 heptathlon; Christel Donley, also W80 just behind Flo but also breaking the old mark … and Kathy Bergen, W75, who set a world record in the 200 meters and tied the high jump world mark. … Also at the meet, the USA is having a team party arranged by MTF Chair Gary Snyder, who heads the delegation, at 6:30 p.m. French time Friday, Aug. 14, at the Mercure Saxe Lafayette Hotel. Team manager Phil Greenwald holds team meetings at 10:30 each morning at the Balmont Stadium track on the day’s complicated logistics (five venues) and schedule and is now busy arranging relay teams for USA to aim at gold.” Here’s a chart of U.S. medalists prepared by Mary Trotto.

Some medals came harder than others.

Lisa Rosborough posted this about Southwest Sprinters’ Track Club member Reginald Pendland:

Reginald Pendland (Dallas, TX) went into the World Masters Athletics Championship 100m for the men’s 45-49 age group with the fastest time in the world in a time of 11.01. He kept that number one ranking by winning the 100m in 11.24 – bringing home a gold medal for Team USA.

The win didn’t come easy, though. This is what Pendland had to say about the race:

“My flight coming here from Newark, NJ was cancelled – the day before my race! So, I had to sleep in the airport, or at least try to sleep. Then I took a cab to New York JFK Airport to catch a flight to Paris that wasn’t leaving until 4 p.m. the next day, only to arrive at 5 a.m. the day of my race. Then I had to catch a 2 1/2 hour train to Lyon, which is where the track meet is being held! I get off the plane and head to the track for my prelim. I got through all that with days and days of no sleep or rest. But to God be the glory! I made it through in order to come away with the win.”

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August 10, 2015

3 Responses

  1. Ken Stone - August 11, 2015

    Lyon also lists these counts by country:
    France 52/128
    Germany 39/115
    USA 29/81
    Australia 22/72
    Great Britain 30/67

    TOTAL COUNTRIES winning medals so far: 58
    TOTAL NATIONS COMPETING: 98 (record)

  2. EM - August 11, 2015

    Antwon Dussett M35 won silver in the 200m and wasn’t listed on the sheet.

  3. Mary Harada - August 12, 2015

    The list is incomplete as it seems to be the gold medals. That is fine to highlight them but there are many US silver and bronze as well.

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