Running into a slight breeze, Thad Wilson of Oxnard smashed Courtland Gray’s WR in the M60 100-meter hurdles Friday at Berea nationals, clocking 14.37 seconds. In the 400, Khalid Mulazim took down the M45 WR for 400 meters as well — scorching a lap in 50.18 to nip the storied WR of 50.20 by American Fred Sowerby in 1994 (the oldest 400 record on the books). Also at Berea, M90 Ralph Maxwell upped his own vault WR to 1.43 from 1.40 at Sacramento worlds. He already owns short-hurdle bests.

In his first M60 season, Thad Wilson won worlds (shown) and set WR at Berea.

Mulazim, Maxwell and Wilson set world records at Masters
7/29/2011

CLEVELAND, OHIO — For the second straight day, the USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships began with heavy morning showers. The rain eventually subsided and the clouds parted, allowing many of the masters athletes to shine. Several world records fell during the second day of competition, including one set by Khalid Mulazim of Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland man sets world record
Running faster than most runners half his age, Khalid Mulazim of Cleveland, Ohio, set the world record in the M45 400m by posting a time of 50.18 seconds. Mulazim, who competes for Southwest Sprinters TC, broke Fred Sowerby’s previous world record of 50.20 seconds set in 1994. Although the 400m is considered a relatively short race, he still managed to gap the rest of the field by nearly five seconds.

When Mulazim was asked how long he thought his world record could stand the test of time, he was quick to respond, “about a month” noting how he plans on running a sub-50 second 400m in the near future.

Best 90+ athlete in the world breaks another record
Perhaps the most inspiring performance of the day was turned in by Ralph Maxwell, 91, of Alamo, Tex. in the pole vault. Maxwell soared over 1.43m/4-8.25 to win his age division and eclipse the previous world record of 1.42m/4-7.75 set by Vic Younger of Australia in 2003. Maxwell’s world record performance comes only three weeks after he solidified his status as the best 90+ athlete in the world by winning the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships in the decathlon with a total of 7069 points.

Having already clinched the victory in the M90 division, he decided to withdraw from the competition after clearing the record setting height. Maxwell, who is also a renowned vocalist and song writer, then demonstrated some of his other talents at the end of the competition when he began singing for fans and reporters.

Wilson hurdles into the record books
Thaddeus Wilson of Oxnard, Calif. won the M60 100m short hurdles with a world record time of 14.37 seconds. He bettered the previous record of 14.62 seconds set by Courtland Gray of the United States in 2004.

In a race where results are so often determined by fractions of a second, Wilson powered over the hurdles and won in dramatic fashion, bettering his nearest competitor by a whopping 2.18 seconds. Wilson who competes for the Pacific Coast Track Club battled a slight headwind of .4 meters per second on his way to setting the world record.

Mulazim was only one of many Ohio residents to earn a national championship title during day two of competition. Other Ohio runners who won gold medals today are:

M30 – Timothy Budic, Berea, Ohio, 3000m steeplechase, 9:55.05
M50 – Charles Greene, Dayton, Ohio, javelin, 52.43m/172-0
M60 – Chris Schmid, Wooster, Ohio, 5000m race walk, 26:05.80
M70 – Grover Coats, Warrensville Heights Ohio, long jump, 4.08m/13-4.75
M70 – John Sloan, Hartville, Ohio, hammer throw, 29.12m/95-6
M85 – George Roudebush, Chardon, Ohio, hammer throw, 19.44m/63-9
M85 – Denver Smith, Louisville, Ohio, pole vault, 1.70m/5-7
M80 – Jack Greenwald, Seville, Ohio, 400m, 1:35.66
M90 – John Means, Richmond Heights, Ohio, 400m, 1:42.69

W50 – Lynn McConnell of Quaker City, Ohio, 5000m race walk, 43:15.76.
W60 – Mary Hartzier, Gahanna, Ohio, discus, 25.30m/83-0
W70 – Rita Matz, Lebanon, Ohio, discus, 18.78m/61-7

For full results of the USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships, visit www.usatf.org.