Here are Day 1 results from Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah

Julian is a jumping fool!

Cindi Blevins, track & field director at the Huntsman World Senior Games, graciously shares results from Day 1 of the three=day meet at Snow Canyon High School in St. George, Utah. Events include high jump, long jump and our old favorite standing long jump. Also posted here are results from the javelin, shot put and 3,000-meter run. Julian Myers of Marina del Rey, California — the recent ESPN photo subject — competed in five events at age 94 (but no-heighted in high jump). Sorry, long day. Christa Bortignon of British Columbia, seeking more W75 world records, won the high jump at 1.08 meters (3-6 1/2) and the standing long jump at 1.95 (6-5). The W75 WR is 1.17 (3-10) by Britain’s Rosemary Chrimes.

October 8, 2012  5 Comments

Kathy Bergen, Thad Wilson make ‘Age’ issue of ESPN Magazine

At least Kathy Bergen and Thad Wilson of Southern California didn’t have to pose nude. That’s how Phil Raschker graced an inside page of the ESPN magazine two years ago, which we noted. Also shown (in some editions) are Magdalena Kuehne and M90 multi-eventer Julian Myers. But sprinter/jumper Kathy at 72 and hurdler Thad at 61 are far from the oldest athletes pictured. Those would be 92-year-old volleyballer Mickey Pitti and 93-year-old swimmer Hoi Pang. But good for ESPN to feature our stars when Track & Field News still ignores us.

Kathy and Thad, world-record holders and champions, are among those featured in Oct. 1 issue of ESPN magazine.

October 4, 2012  8 Comments

M75 Bob Lida after IAAF Best Master season: Still aims for sub-27

After hearing that my fellow Jayhawk Bob Lida had been named IAAF Best Master, I shot him some questions, and one response stands out. He’s not satisfied with his speed, especially in the 200. He wrote me: ā€œI think l left something in the tank last year. I have been feeling good and my training times are as good, and in some cases better, now as they were last year this time. I am still trying to get under 27.0 for the 200 again, can improve my 100 with some work on starts, and run a better 400 with more speed endurance training.ā€ Oh my. A sub-27 at age 76? I haven’t run a sub-27 since I was in my mid-40s. But I won’t second-guess that goal. He’s already blown away all other expectations of a mid-70s sprinter. (This is when your turnover goes south fast, right?)

Bob gave his rivals a taste of his record-setting speed at Sacramento worlds.

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October 1, 2012  6 Comments

Masters sprinter Phil McConkey gets Fox & Friends spotlight

Called a ā€œdedicated patriot,ā€ M55 sprinter Phil McConkey of San Diego was recently featured on Fox News talking about his company, which helps employ military veterans — ā€œthe best of the best.ā€ J.P. Morgan is a partner in his financial services firm. Phil talks about the integrity and problem-solving skills in veterans he seeks to hire. ā€œThose are the kind of people we want on our team,ā€ he says. ā€œAfter World War II, those people brought us peace and prosperity. … They brought us better times.ā€ Phil is a Navy veteran. He’s known for his key Super Bowl catch for the New York Giants in 1986, but his current gig is far more meaningful. Good 4U, Phil.

Click for video of Phil describing his plan to employ U.S. military veterans.

September 30, 2012  One Comment

Bob Lida, Lyn Ventris named IAAF Best Masters of Year 2012

American M75 sprinter Bob Lida will soon be able to say ā€œI don’t think we’re in Kansas anymoreā€ when he and W55 Aussie star Lyn Ventris are feted at the IAAF Gala in Barcelona as IAAF Best Masters of the Year. WMA today announced the choice of Bob and Lyn as the year’s best masters athletes. ā€œThe selection for the 2012 WMA Best Masters has been completed,ā€ writes WMA Secretary Winston Thomas. ā€œFrom a total of five women and three men nominations by the regions the WMA Council’s selection were (Lida and Ventris). This was the closest vote for the women title with one vote in the result. Congratulations go to all the entrants listed below. The two athletes are invited to attend the IAAF Centenary celebration and IAF Gala in Barcelona, on the 23-24 November 2012.ā€ Lyn is a repeat choice, so I’m afraid Aussie Stan Perkins, the WMA president, again put his finger on the scale, denying Christa Bortignon of Canada her due recognition.

Bob is No. 1 in world as WMA’s choice for IAAF top masters male athlete.


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September 28, 2012  22 Comments

Suspended M45 Egyptian was busted for impersonating M50

Mohamed Megahed of Egypt, 46, took 14th in the M45 long jump at Sacramento worlds in 2011, going 5.80 meters (19-0 1/2) with a big aiding wind. He wasn’t satisfied with his mark, so he tried again — in M50. He took the bib number of another Egyptian, 54-year-old Shaban Hoseen, and was ninth out of 30 with a prelims leap of 5.45 (17-10 3/4). But when he showed up for the final, he was nailed as an imposter. DQ, Megahed (but the results show DQ, Hoseen). I wrote WMA Secretary Winston Thomas, and he sent me details of the fraud and suspension. (But he left out the name of the victimized athlete.) I looked up the results and put 2 and 2 together. So don’t blame Winston, a most considerate gentleman. I’m a most shameless blogger. Kick my cheeky butt.

M50 results from Sacramento worlds long jump show how Megahed got DQ’d under another name, a fellow Egyptian. (They all look alike, I guess.)

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September 27, 2012  5 Comments

Willie Banks named USATF Athlete of the Week for 6-footer

Willie Banks several years ago.

USATF made a good call today by naming Willie Banks its latest Athlete of the Week for his M55 American record 6-foot high jump. At 56, Willie follows Jeanne Daprano (March 27) and Kevin Castille (April 18) as masters tracksters to gain this honor on 2012. USATF posted: ā€œBanks used a three-step approach and the straddle technique to clear 1.82m/6-0 on his first attempt at the height. Banks improved the masters 55-59 age group American record by an inch and a quarter. Olympian Jim Barrineau previously set the record of 1.79m/5-10.75 in August of this year. Banks was a member of the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic teams and held the world record in the triple jump at 17.97m/58-11.5 for ten years. Banks was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1999 and has served as a USATF board member since 2008.ā€

September 26, 2012  One Comment

Pete Magill’s good news and bad news: No marathon this year

Pete on Facebook.

Pete Magill posted on Facebook: ā€œWell, after deciding this was the year to finally run Twin Cities … I’m not. The legs just haven’t bounced back as quickly from down weeks in July as I’d hoped – at age 51, they’re hardly ā€˜bouncing’ at all! LOL! So I’m going to run the Runner’s World Half Marathon in Bethlehem, PA, on Oct. 21 instead, focus on the USATF Club XC Championship in December, and then find a marathon after that. So it goes. Good news is now I can run the Masters 5K XC Champs in San Diego mid-October!ā€

September 25, 2012  3 Comments

Belated congrats to Jai Black: W50 American record in 400

Jai at 2005 Hawaii masters nationals.

Saturday’s San Diego Senior Games saw Willie Banks crush a high jump AR and Christa Bortignon take down an 80-meter hurdles WR (but not the 200, as we learned today. See below). But results also show W50 Jai Black running 61.96 in the 400. That’s just off the listed American record of 61.89 by Phil Raschker at 1997 Durban worlds. But it turns out that Jai (pronounced Jay, not Jie), born June 4, 1962, ran 61.38 at the June 30 Chuck McMahon meet in San Marcos. (See results.) Record is hers! (I was at some meet in Eugene and was totally oblivious. Sorry.) Jai is the W45 world champ from Sacramento, and she could easily defend her title in Brazil if finances allow. Meanwhile, Jim Waters with the San Diego Senior Games writes: ā€œIn compiling the results from the … Track and Field meet, I discovered that the reported time of 33.39 by Christa Bortignon in the women’s 200 meters race is not accurate. Her actual time is 36.01.ā€

September 24, 2012  12 Comments

WMA suspends Egyptian jumper 2 years for lying about his age

Mohamed in 2009.

Athletes have been fibbing about their marks forever, but when you lie about your age, that’s a Bozo No-No. WMA Secretary Winston Thomas reports that on July 25, Mohamed Megahed of Egypt was disqualified from representing any national federation ā€œin any official capacity at any WMA Masters sanctioned events for a period of 2 yearsā€ — through July 24, 2014. His offense? ā€œBringing the sport into disrepute or discrediting the sport [for] incorrect statement of age.ā€ An April 2009 article about him said he was 43. It concluded: ā€œA specialised German institute is conducting a comprehensive study on Megahed to try to find out why and how he is so good at his age.ā€ Now we know, I guess.

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September 24, 2012  4 Comments