50 Years Ago – Bob Beamon Shocked The World

LRC Feature A Leap For The Ages: Bob Beamon’s 29-Foot Long Jump Turns 50 A half century later, there’s still only one way to describe the men’s long jump at the 1968 Olympics: Beamonesque. We take an in-depth look at one of the greatest singular accomplishments in sports history. Beamon improved the WR by 6.59% – that’s the equivalent of someone in 2018 lowering the marathon WR to 1:53:28 or the 100-meter record to 8.95.
*MB: 50 years ago, Bob Beamon made history. Where does his performance rank on list of greatest singular sports performances? 

LRC Why Is The Long Jump World Record So Hard To Break? Mike Powell‘s WR has stood for 27 years and the #2 mark from Bob Beamon celebrates its 50th anniversary today. What explains their longevity? Are the best athletes in the NFL? Are the runways too soft? Is there a mental block?

• BBC Video Looking Back On Bob Beamon’s WR The 3-minute video includes some cool old footage.
• IAAF: The Perfect Jump – Bob Beamon’s 8.90m Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary The IAAF pays tribute to Beamon’s historic jump which broke the WR by a “staggering 55 centimeters”.
• Mark Cullen’s Updated Story Of The 2014 Dedication Of The 1968 Olympic Trials Site/Training Center

Semenya Case Update

• IAAF Delay Testosterone Rules Until Caster Semenya CAS Verdict The CAS verdict is expected on or before March 26th. This may cause hyperandrogenous athletes to gamble on the case since the IAAF rules (if enforced by CAS) requires them to reduce their testosterone levels for 6-months before racing internationally.
• Seb Coe Says They Made A Deal With Caster Semenya And Athletics South Africa To Expedite The CAS Case The IAAF won’t enforce their testosterone rules until the verdict, and in return Semenya agreed not to prolong the process. Coe: “All athletes need this situation resolved as soon as possible.”
• IAAF Statement “The IAAF remains very confident of the legal, scientific, and ethical bases for the Regulations, and therefore fully expects CAS to reject these challenges.”

NCAA Updates

XC News: Pre-Nats *Live Results

LRC 2018 Pre-Nats: BYU (29 Points) & NAU Men (41 Points) Go Super Low; Grant Fisher Earns Narrow Win In 2018 XC Debut The teams were divided into two roughly even races as Arkansas (51 points) & New Mexico (67 points) claimed the women’s team races. Fisher (23:48), Rory Linkletter (23:54), Weini Kelati (19:33), and Jessica Hull (20:03) earned individual titles.

• Grant Fisher: “I went way too early. I was really fortunate to come away with it.”
• USTFCCCA Pre-Nats Recap
• Q&A With Maurica Powell On Her First Season At Washington On getting the job, Powell said, “I was absolutely not trying to leave Oregon. Andy and I had really never tried to leave, we’d been there for 13 years and would have stayed probably forever. But we got a call …”
• USTFCCCA: Putting NAU’s Lengthy Reign Into Perspective In the last 20 years, NAU is one of only four teams that have topped the NCAA DI coaches’ poll for more than 15 consecutive weeks.
• Do You Want To Race World XC? IAAF: Six Months To Go Until World XC Championships In Aarhus, Denmark The event has open entry into the championship race so recreational runners can “measure yourself against the top runners from nations all over the world.”
• December 9: Two Months To Go Until European XC Championships In The Netherlands

High School XC

• Katelyn Tuohy Crushes Another Big High School Course Record, This Time At Sunken Meadow Tuohy ran 16:52.97 to absolutely destroy the record held by former Foot Locker champ Aisling Cuffe at 17:45. Tuohy’s time would have put her third in the varsity boys race.
  *MB: Katelyn Tuohy takes on Sunken Meadow
• MileSplit Notes From Manhattan Invy
  *Results
• MileSplit: Athletes And Coaches Find Relief In Return To XC After Dealing With The Floods From Hurricane Florence Wreaked Havoc On Their Town And Homes

Distance News

• The Oregonian: Nike Signs Oregon Runner Justin Gallegos As Their First Athlete With Cerebral Palsy Gallegos is a junior club runner who is trying to break 2 hours in the half marathon.
• Mo Farah Thinks He’s Capable Of Running 2:04 Low Or 2:03 High “What I’ve learned [in Chicago] is I’m definitely better off going slower and finishing fast towards the end of the race. That definitely suits me a little better. It just depends how much slower I need to go the first half.”
• October 21: MB: New Bekele Video!!! The pre-Amsterdam Marathon video has Bekele talking with training footage in the background.
• November 11: Former Boston Champ Wesley Korir Faces Ethiopia’s Bazu Worku (2:05:25) At The Beirut Marathon

Previous Youth Olympic Games News

• IAAF Youth Olympic Games Day 2 Recap Ethiopia’s Abrham Sime took the men’s 2,000 steeplecahse in 5:34.94 while Kenya’s Fancy Cherono won the women’s race in 6:28.08. Ethiopia’s Melese Kefale (3:52.95) and Kenya’s Edina Jebitok (4:16.68) came through as the favorites in the 1500. Argentina’s Nazareno Sasia highlighted non-distance action with a 21.58m victory in the shot put.
• IAAF Youth Olympic Games Day 1 Recap Uganda got double wins in the 3,000s from Oscar Chelimo (8:08.20) and Sarah Chalangat (9:11.63) to highlight the distance action.
• A Rundown Of The Top US Athletes Competing At The 2018 Youth Olympic Games In Buenos Aires
• Entries For 2018 Youth Olympics Games There are some cool innovations this year, including a XC race for athletes from the 1,500, 3,000 and steeple as well as a mixed 8 x 100m relay.
• MB: 144,000 Condoms For 4000 Under-18 Athletes In Youth Olympic Village