Pick the top male and female masters athletes in the world
Give up? Too many choices? Juggling too many apples and oranges? Not a problem for the WMA Council, which at the close of the World Masters Athletics Championships chose Canadian Earl Fee (M75) and Holland’s Rietje Dijkman (W65) as WMA’s male and female athletes of 2005 — and sent them on their way to Monaco for an IAAF bash in connection with the World Athletics Final this weekend in Monaco.
This is the second year that WMA has tapped a pair for IAAF Gala honors. Last year, out of the blue in a non-WMA world meet season, M65 German Guido Mueller was judged the top male and W50 Australian Jeanette Flynn (a middle-distance star) the top female.
Earl and Rietje won a bunch of golds and set records in San Seb, of course, making them plausible nominees.
The Dutchwoman won the triple jump (8.53/28-0), high jump (1.30/ 4-3 1/4) and both 80 hurdles and 300 hurdles (14.84 and 56.96). Probably ran some relays, too.
Fee, like Mueller another long hurdler, set a WR of 52.91 over the 300s, won the 400 in 1:07.67 and the 800 in 2:36.28. Ironman, he is.
I could think of other plausible nominees for WMA honors, however.
Consider Dr. Steven Peters of Britain. Won the M50 100 in 11.48, 200 in 23.17 and 400 in 52.46 (with second place more than a second behind), plus ran one or two relays. He ran a million heats and with stiffer competition than Earl. (And he won at least five world championships in earlier WMA meets.)
But it seems it helps to be a hurdler to gain the WMA Council’s attention.
Nice perk of office — picking the best masters athletes in the world.
Wish they opened up the competition a little to the public.
Too much of a techno-hassle? Not for the IAAF, it seems.
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Also, Carla Del Grande (Canada)W50 — gold in 100/200/400 with spectacular times and again a full compliment of heats, semis and finals in all three distances
Nice one, there are actually some worthwhile ideas on this blog some of my associates may find this relevant, will send them a link, thank you.
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