Phil Raschker begins assault on W60 world records
Every five years, this lady out in Georgia takes a break from her tax business and goes bonkers on the track. The result: a shredded record book. So it began a week ago as Phil Raschker, in her W60 debut, bettered two world and two American records at the USATF National Masters Indoor Heptathlon Championships at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Phil turned 60 on Feb. 21. Here are complete women’s results and men’s results. In the W70 age-group, Christel Donley of Colorado apparently set an indoor hep record of 5407 points, according to the decamouse site.
Phil’s WRs came in the 60-meter hurdles (clocking 10.28 to beat the 10.43 by Germany’s Friderun Kuemmerle-Valk in 2004) and the hep itself (7,090 points, although she claims only 6,904). German-born but a U.S. citizen for many years, Phil also netted American indoor records in the long jump (14-0 3/4) as her other marks (4.15, 4.22) also beat the 3.92 (12-10 1/4) AR by Barbara Cleveland in 2000. Phil twice topped the listed high jump AR of 1.30 (4-3¼) by Kathy Bergen in last year in Boston — first with a 1.31 and then with a 1.34 (4-3 3/4).
Olympian Phil Mulkey, Phil’s friend and press agent, writes:
Finally, after 10 years of being held back by injuries and surgeries, it seems she is on her way to repeat her successful endeavors of age W50, when she won 10 Gold Medals at the World Championships in Durban, South Africa and setting several World Records at the same time. Her focus, especially for the last 16 month, has been the upcoming World Championships in Riccione, Italy (Sept 3 to 15 2007).
Setting 2 World Records and 2 American Records, plus having the highest score of anybody, men or women, gave her great confidence for this season. She actually could have scored 7000 points but because of a poor, uncontrolled start in the 60 m dash, the first event in the Heptathlon, she lost too many points to make that possible. There is always next year.
Her performances were:
60 m dash 8.99
Long Jump 4.29 (all 3 jumps were new pending American Records – 4.15 * 4.22 * 4.29)
Shot Put 8.06
High Jump 1.34 (Jumping 1.31, and 1.34, both pending American Records)
Second day:
60 m Hurdles 10.28 (new pending World Record)
Pole Vault 2.60
800 m 3:17.29
Total Score 6904 (New pending World Record)
With Nadine O’Connor celebrating her 65th birthday a few days ago (as detailed in Sean Callahan’s blog at GeezerJock.com), it looks like another incredible years for ladies in their 60s.
2 Responses
Congratulations to Phil “all world” Raschker. She is a true world champion. Rather than write about the braggards who claim that they “will do” astonishing things at some point in the future, how about keeping an eye on the likes of Phil at age 60 (a mere youngster in my eyes) and her astonishing accomplishments. She is not mouthing off about what she will do in the future, she is doing it NOW.
And how about a round of applause for 91 year old Bob Matteson. He missed a WR in the 3k by just a couple of seconds at the meet in Albany last Sunday. I was keeping his splits for him and had I know his target time I might have been able to hav encouraged him into picking it up on the last two laps to get the record. The UA track is something like 172 meters – personally I had no clue as to how to figure out splits for an 800 never mind count to 17 plus for a 3k. I see Bob has signed up for the 3k at the Nationals – if he runs it, I hope he can get the record. These are the folks who deserve attention, not the mouthy ones who bluster about what they will do at some time in the future.
Great comments!!! It’s so easy to be pessimistic about someone you don’t know. We’ll See when the time comes.
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