Ralph Maxwell going where few hurdlers have gone before: past 90
The USATF preview of Boston indoor nationals starting today focuses on the big names – the Raschkers, Collinses, Hanscoms, Shaheeds, etc. But my attention will be riveted to results of an event scheduled for 4:35 p.m. local time Saturday: the men’s 80-94 60-meter hurdles. If Ralph Maxwell competes as suggested by his entry, he will make history — the first American 90-plus to contest this event. Of course, any legal mark will be the M90 American record. If he gets over five 27-inch hurdles and beats 17.56, he’ll claim the world record now held by Ilmari Koppinen of Finland. At Kamloops, the oldest hurdler was Horst Albrecht of Germany. He’s 86. In the M90 hurdles, Emmerich Zensch of Austria was a scratch. (See results here.) Outdoors, I count three M90 hurdlers: the late Bert Morrow, Kizo Kimura of Japan and Ilmari. Quite an exclusive club. Best of luck to all the hurdlers at Boston, and everyone else!
M90 Ilmari Koppinen of Finland, running the 80-meter hurdles at Lahti worlds, paves the way for Ralph Maxwell at Boston -- among the oldest hurdlers in history. (Photo by Ken Stone)
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Well, old Ralph beat the WR a day early!
USATF reports:
Winners in men’s pentathlon competition included Ralph Maxwell of Alamo, Texas, who tallied 4,594 points. His time of 15.84 seconds in the 60m hurdles is a new M90 world record bettering the previous standard of 17.56.
Link to results of Day 1 is here:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2010/USAMastersIndoorTFChampionships/results/friday.asp
So Ralph gets another bite of the apple Saturday!
Here’s the USATF release from Boston:
BOSTON – With distance races, combined events, pole vaulting and weight throwing leading off the festivities, the first day of the 2010 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships featured a wide variety of world and American age-group records.
More than 850 athletes, ranging from age 30 to 90-plus, will compete in the Championships. The meet runs through Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center on the campus of Roxbury Community College.
All-time masters great Nolan Shaheed, who earlier this month won M60 titles in the 400m, 800m, mile, and 3,000m at the World Indoor Masters Championships in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, became the first American ever to break the 10-minute barrier in the indoor 3,000 meters with his time of 9:55.03. Shaheed’s effort bettered the listed American record of 10:01.96 by Dan Conway from 1999. Shaheed was featured in the Faces in the Crowd section of the latest edition of Sports Illustrated.
Also in 3,000m competition, 92-year old Orville Rogers of Dallas, Tex., bettered his own pending M90 American record of 22:57.41, set earlier this month in Kamloops, with his time this afternoon of 21:52.38.
Men’s 3,000m winners included Thomas Thomasson of West Deptford, Mass. (M30 – 10:14.61), Joshua Gordon of Boston (M35 – 9:00.46), Andrew Duncan of Methesda, Md. (M40 – 8:49.71), Chris Chisholm of Farmington, Ct. (M45 – 8:49.71), Craig Fram of Plaistow, N.H. (M50 – 9:22.26), Stephen Chantry (M55 – 9:53.40), Thomas Jennings (M65 – 11:28.79), Thom Weddle of Minneapolis (M70 – 12:35.47) and Dennis Branham of Providence, R.I. (M75 – 14:11.96).
Winners in women’s 3,000m competition were Latashia Key of Indianapolis (W35 – 11:13.33), Lisa Valle of Albuquerque, N.M. (W40 – 10:07.10), Sheryl Miller of Coralville, Iowa (W45 – 10:54.46), Rebecca Marvil of Houston, Texas (W50 – 11:24.98), Kathryn Martin of Northport, N.Y. (11:18.99) and Joy Oakey of Media, Pa. (W60 – 13:59.05).
In women’s pole vault competition, Florence Meiler of Shelburne, Vt., set the world masters W75 record twice within ten minutes this afternoon. Her best clearance of 1.88 meters/6 feet 2 inches easily won the competition.
Additional women’s pole vault winners were Helen Croskell of Houston, Tex. (W35 – 2.30m/7-6.50); Karen Rieger of Indianapolis (W45 – 2.50m/8-2.50), Liz Johnson of Charlotte, N.C. (W50 – 1.50m/4-11), Kay Glynn of Hastings, Iowa (W55 – 2.80m/9-2.25) and Hillen Von Maltzahn of Troy, N.Y. (W60 – 2.60m/8-6.25).
The women’s weight throw was highlighted by a world age-group record by Carol Young of Marietta, Ga., who won the W70 competition with a heave of 12.30m/40-4.25, which bettered the listed world record of 11.68m/38-4 by Sigrun Kofink of Germany in 2008.
Other women’s weight throw winners were Jennifer Stephens of Fairfax, Va. (W35 – 10.14m/33-3.25), Cindy Latham of West Haven, Ct. (W40 – 8.24m/27-0), Oneithea Lewis of Oakland Gardens, N.Y. (W45 – 14.20m/46-7.25), Ruth Welding of Elk Grove Village, Ill. (W50 – 12.06m/39-7), Katherine Wetenhall of Sylvania, Ohio (W55-11.40m/37-5), Roslyn Katz of Flushing, N.Y. (W65 – 9.34m/30-7.75), Audrey Lary of Frederick, Md. (W75 – 9.16m/30-0.75) and Betty Jarvis of Aberdeen, N.C. (W90 – 5.09m/16-8.50).
Men’s weight throw nationals champions included Carl Wallin of Lebanon, N.H. (M65 – 17.59m/57-8.50), Donald Trimble of North Conway, N.H. (M70 -12.73m/41-9.25), Gerald Wojcik of Eugene, Ore. (M80 – 13.30m/43-7.75), Richard Mulkern of Sheffield, Iowa (M85 – 10.04m/32-11.25) and Leland McPhie of San Diego, Calif. (M95 – 5.38m/17-08).
Winners in men’s pentathlon competition included Ralph Maxwell of Alamo, Texas, who tallied 4,594 points. His time of 15.84 seconds in the 60m hurdles is a new M90 world record bettering the previous standard of 17.56.
Other men’s pentathlon winners and their point totals included Nathan Lasche of Boston (M30 – 2,928 points), James Barr of Arlington, Va. (M40 – 3,067 points), Damon Blakemore of Houston, Texas (M45 – 3,287), Mark Williamson of Durham, N.C. (M50 – 3,539 points), William Murray (M55 – 3,288 points), Ivan Black of New York City (M60 – 2,929 points), James Hollister of Turlock, Calif. (M65 – 4,011 points), Emil Pawlik of Jackson, Miss. (M70 – 3,619 points) and James Leggitt of Levelland, Tex. (M75 – 3,265 points.
Winners in women’s heptathlon action included Danelle Readinger of Terre Haute, Ind. (W30 – 2,207 points), Susan Wiemer of Freeport, Maine (W40 – 2,550 points), Caryl Senn-Griffiths of Massapequa Park, N.Y., (W45 – 3,338 points), Ginny Richburg of Randolph Center, Vt. (W50 – 3,104 points), Mary Trotto of Hihei, Hawaii (W60 – 3,658 points), Jane Simpson of Chico, Calif. (W-65 – 1,352 points) and Florence Meiler of Shelburne, Vt. (W75 – 3,687 points)
For more information on the 2010 USA Masters Indoor Championships in Boston, including the complete results, visit http://www.usatf.org
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
Day 1 foto gallery is up here:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2010/USAMastersIndoorTFChampionships/photos/day1/index.asp
Congrads to Ralph and others with their new records!
Imagine age 90 and still competing in the Pent, WOW!
Way to go, Ralph. CONGRATULATIONS. I was born just down the road from you in Donna. Makes us Rio Grande Valley cats. Never stop doing what you’re doing. Jerry
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