Rita Hanscom named WMA World Best Female Masters Athlete
World’s best for 2009: Guido and Rita
|
Rita Hanscom of San Diego and Guido Müller of Germany will be honored November 22 at the IAAF Gala in Monte Carlo as WMA Best Masters Athletes of 2009. The Eurovets Web site revealed the news late last night. So did Annette and Robert Koop. Finally, WMA Secretary Winston Thomas sent out the official word at 1:30 this morning. It’s the second such honor for Guido, the M70 sprinter/hurdler who set a half-dozen world records this season, including several at Lahti worlds. He was IAAF/WMA Masters Athlete of the Year in its debut season — 2004. Rita, the W55 multi-eventer who smashed Phil Raschker’s heptathlon record at Lahti on the way to winning five gold medals, is the third American to claim this honor, after Phil in 2007 and Bill Collins in 2006. Rita beat out W45 multi-eventer Marie Kay of Australia, W45 racewalker Ada Booyens of South Africa and W65 racewalker Heidi Maeder of Switzerland as WMA best. Two Sundays ago, the USATF Masters T&F Awards Committee nominated Rita for USATF Masters Athlete of the Year. She’ll be in the running against a masters distance runner and racewalker.
Here’s how World Masters Athletics announced its choices for Best Masters Athletes.
Of course, the small committee that picks the USATF Masters Athlete of the Year — a single (not shared) honor revealed at the USATF annual meeting — will be under great pressure to name Rita the winner.
Otherwise, they face the same avalanche of outrage that accompanied the selection in 2007 of a W75 distance runner despite the fact Phil Raschker, WMA’s pick for world’s best female masters athlete, had won 10 gold medals at the Riccione world masters championships.
At the Indianapolis annual meeting December 2-6, 2009, USATF Masters T&F Chairman Gary Snyder, USATF Masters LDR Chairman Don Lein and (I think) USATF President Stephanie Hightower will review the nominees and make the final selection. Maybe one or two others in the mix.
They can’t do much better than Rita.
Here’s a summary of her 2009 season prepared by the USATF Masters T&F Awards Committee under chairman Dave Clingan:
Rita Hanscom, a multi-event masters track and field athlete, had a spectacular year in 2009. In the early part of the year, she competed in the W50-54 age
group and won 6 medals at the USATF National Masters Indoor Championships.
After turning 55 in May, she won 6 medals at the USATF National Masters Outdoor
Championships and won 5 gold medals at the WMA World Masters Championships
in Lahti, Finland. Rita ranked number one in her age group in eight different
events and set a new world record in the W55 Heptathlon with a score of 6382.
She is also the NCCWMA nominee for WMA Athlete of the Year.
Keep in mind that USATF has a two-track system for Masters Athletes of the Year. Under one, Clingan’s committee picks a top male and female masters trackster plus a set of older and younger masters honorees. These folks are feted at masters outdoor nationals, such as at Oshkosh in July. (See this photo gallery.)
On the other track is one begun five years ago, originally called the Bengay Masters Athlete of the Year — which USATF’s home office wanted. They needed to honor some masters athlete at the annual meeting (usually in early December). And it would be just one athlete, not a pair. Here’s an early account.
Unfortunately, Bengay dropped its sponsorship. But USATF continued the recognition, confusing everyone with this parallel awards system. Oh well.
But this is the time to celebrate Rita and Guido!Â
Both will get a chance to rub shoulders (if they can jump that high) with 6-foot-5 Usain Bolt, the slam-dunk favorite to repeat as IAAF Male Athlete of the Year.
In 2007, Phil Raschker won the IAAF/WMA award and attended the Monaco celebration. Here’s her photo album of the event.
Here are some highlight’s of Rita’s breakthrough year:
Rita Hanscom heads toward gold in the 300 hurdles — one of her five titles at Lahti.
Rita Hanscom, with fewer misses, won her third event at Lahti worlds.
 
21 Responses
Congratulations to Rita. She’s had a wonderful year!
We get better as we grow and Rita you are Our Mountain.
Love Ya
The Henry Crew
Congratulations, Rita, you certainly are deserving of this award. What an incredible year you have experienced.
Congratulations Rita! It is well deserved.
CONGRATULATIONS!! YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST!!
Congratulations Guido Müller. You are the greatest. It was also courageous of WMA to award Guido the title again. Well done all!
Great job Rita! I hope your upcoming years remain just as powerful. I enjoyed our two days of competition together at the decathlon. See you next year?
Congratulations Rita!!!
You are terrific, in every way!!!
Proud to be your team-mate.
Congratulations Rita! You are amazing.
When I grow up I want to be just like you Rita… oh wait a minute… Sincere congratulations for all you have accomplished this year.
Congrattulations Rita on an awesome year.. you are a true champion and an inspiration to all. Enjoy the award you deserve it.
Congratulations, Rita! You’re an amazing, talented athlete, and it’s an honour and a joy to compete with you, and to run relays with you.
Rita you are a “Phenomenal Woman” and I am truly inspired by you. Congratulations again and have fun in Monaco.
Wow!! Congratulations…and to think our auntie is so incredibly talented. We’ll want to hear every detail & see every picture from Monaco.
Wow!! Congratulations…and to think our auntie is so incredibly talented. We’ll want to hear every detail & see every picture from Monaco.
It’s absolutely amazing that you have reached the level you have this season–in ALL the events! But to sustain it after your first PR of the season is unbelievably inspiring! Way to go, Rita! You make the USA proud!
Mega Congrats to both!
Rita, you are a great inspiration! Hope to see you snatch that 300H record next season!
Congratulations!
When I die I STILL want to come back as YOU.
Rita, you award motivated me to swim extra laps this morning. Dara Torres could take lessons from you. Your focus and drive are truly inspirational. Have a great time in Monaco. What’s next? Gary
Guido Muller is a worthy winner of the master of the year! but among the women not to reward Marie Key, holds him/it an insult to the athletic world master!
Rita,
Congratulations! You are a winner athelete and truly a woman to be admired by many people. Its a pleasure to know you.
Leave a Reply