Great runners who have died young????

steve prefontaine

Kimini and Pre, obviously. Terry Fox, but he wasn't All-American. They have to be runners? If not, add Hank Gathers.

Mark Thompson was a great coach who died young, according to Mark Thompson (or Chris Huffins), better known as about 50 different screen names.

REVEAL YOURSELF, THOMPSON, YOU INSANE MULATTO MOFO!!!!

Do you mean Kimani, late of Alabama?

Ivo Van Damme of Belgium was killed in a car crash shortly after the Montreal Olympic Games.

Men's 800m. Final. Olympic Games 1976  

1. Alberto JUANTORENA CUB 1: 43.50 WR

2. Ivo van DAMME BEL 1: 43.86

3. Richard WOHLHUTER USA 1: 44.12

4. Willi WULBECK GER 1: 45.26

5. Steve OVETT GBR 1: 45.44

6. Luciana SUSANJ YUG   1: 45.75

7. Sriram SINGH IND 1: 45.77

8. Carlo GRIPPO ITA 1: 48.39

 

Men's 1500m. Final. Olympic Games 1976  

1. John WALKER NZL 3: 39.17

2. Ivo van DAMME BEL 3: 39.27

3. Paul-Heinz WELLMANN GER 3: 39.33

4. Eamonn COGHLAN IRL 3: 39.51

5. Frank CLEMENT GBR 3: 39.65

6. Richard WOHLHUTER USA 3: 40.64

7. Dave MOORCROFT GBR 3: 40.94

8. Graham CROUCH AUS 3:41.80

Lillian Board died less than two weeks after her 22nd birthday on Boxing Day 1970. She had travelled to Munich in search of treatment to cure her cancer, diagnosed earlier that same year. Her all too brief life was cruelly ended at an age most International athletes' careers are just beginning and most of which never even approach what she achieved in her short life.

As a teenager at the 1968 Mexico Olympics she failed by the narrowest of margins to become the 400m. Champion losing to Colette Besson of France, (52sec.) by one tenth of a second, despite beating Ann Packer's UK record (set at the previous Olympics). Her single major individual championship "Gold" came the following year at the European Championships where she had done an 'Ann Packer' and moved up to the two laps 800m. but there was more to follow.

In a now legendary 4x400m. final she again came up against her old foe Colette Besson of France. In a titanic last leg the two battled in a breath-taking climax and both crossed the finishing line in a new World Record time of 3min. 30.8 sec. However the British girl was judged to have crossed the line first. With two Gold medals to her name and an attractive personality it was no surprise the Press declared her the current "Golden Girl" of athletics. The future was so full of promise, in particular the next Olympics, ironically in Munich. In the 1970 New Year's Honours list she was awarded the MBE but during the winter she began to suffer from stomach problems. In spite of this she continued to train and even ran a career best one mile time of 4min. 44.6sec. during the summer. But she was unable to reproduce the speed that in earlier years had even propelled her to the English Schools' long jump title in 1963 and the 1965 Schools 100yards title. (George Herringshaw)

Van Damme was only 22 when he died. Who knows what he may have achieved?

Jeff Drenth died back in 1983 (I believe) of Heart Failure. He was running for Athletics West at the time. Great guy and very talented runner.

The polish steeplerchaser who won the Moscow olympics, Molinaski ( dunno how its spelled)

Flojo

Bronislaw Malinowski

Jeff died in June 1986.

Rudolf Harbig

"Jeff died in 1986"

Okay, I just remembered it was when I was in H.S.

8:44-2 mile

we already have a webside like that, it has been developed by a european guy and it is as accurate as it can get. this guy have bio''s of every runner from every country. even you might be on his website if you are a serious run or if you have run fast times.

Kim Gallagher

Pre died young..........he did

Terry Heath- Led the Marathon trials in 1980, ran at North Idaho and Idaho State. Great Idaho runner.

Killed when his jeep was hit by a train in January,1988.