It was 20 years ago today...

[Fielding Melish]

06 October 1985, World Cup, Canberra:

400 meters - 47.60 Marita Koch; 4 x 100 relay - 41.37, East Germany

Koch's record will last another generation or two or ten...

[Rog]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

I remember watching that run on TV - it remains, for me, the greatest feat in track history by a woman.

[tafnut]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

>>record will last another generation or two or ten...<<

if they hadn't changed the women's jav specs, that record would have outlasted dirt.

[Walt Murphy]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

Koch's record will last another generation
>or two or ten...

Video of that race exists somewhere, but the link I had for it no longer works

[Rog]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

You can check out a video of that race at the link below. There are also clips of the likes of Ashford, Gohr, Kratochvilova, Flo Jo etc but the Marita Koch 400 is the highlight (for me anyway).

Watching the run you get an impression of overwhelmingly relaxed form for the first 300 (she had incredible technique), despite going through that point in 34.1 , and the other thing that may strike you is how slim she is - her upper body isn't muscular like her counterparts today.

http://www.thehotspotonline.com/blahbla ... cheats.htm

[mike renfro]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

It wasn't same day, but the W 4x100 has held up pretty well too.

With the old spec Jav, Menedez (sp) might hit 80m.

[Powell]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

>With the
>old spec Jav, Menedez (sp) might hit 80m.

No way. Comparing the world lists before and after the change, the new specifications might have made the throws shorter by at most 2-3 meters.

[Guest]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

>>With the
>old spec Jav, Menedez (sp) might hit 80m.

No way. Comparing the
>world lists before and after the change, the new specifications might have made
>the throws shorter by at most 2-3 meters.

Trine Hattestad is a good example here - WC with the old spec, WR and OG with the new. Her pbs were 72.12m and 69.48m respectively (set 7 years apart). Even allowing for the fact that Menendez probably hasn't peaked yet, I'd doubt she has those Felke-esque throws in her.

Edit - sp

[MCFLY]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

>You can check out a video of that race at the link below. There are also clips
>of the likes of Ashford, Gohr, Kratochvilova, Flo Jo etc but the Marita Koch
>400 is the highlight (for me anyway).

Watching the run you get an impression
>of overwhelmingly relaxed form for the first 300 (she had incredible
>technique), despite going through that point in 34.1 , and the other thing that
>may strike you is how slim she is - her upper body isn't muscular like her
>counterparts today.
>

http://www.thehotspotonline.com/blahbla ... cheats.htm


thanks for the link! i've never seen those races before...

[KevinM]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

Is it time or intentional ignorance that allows you guys to marvel at these "women's" "feats"?

[mike renfro]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

>Is it time or intentional ignorance that allows you guys to marvel at these
>"women's" "feats"?

Nah, just a belief in better living through chemistry :-)

[dukehjsteve]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

Even allowing for the fact
>that Mendez probably hasn't peaked yet, I'd doubt she has those Felke-esque
>throws in her.

Yeah, but Felke had "stuff" in her that Menendez does not.

[MCFLY]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

it's a part of track & field history, none-the-less. i, too, am saddened that these "records" are still in places. everybody look at this:

Marion Jones 10.70
Merlene Ottey 21.64
Marie Jose-Perec 48.25
Ana Quirot 1:54.44...

how refreshing does that list look. i mean just looking at the marita koch race is, i believe, evidence of her drug use. the race was poorly executed! she started to tie up in the final few strides of the race. obviously it wasn't her technique that fueled those records.

[Fielding Melish]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

Look at these too

Hassiba Boulmerka 3:55.30
Gabriela Szabo 8:21.42
Paula Radcliffe 30:01.09

[bf]

Re: It was 20 years ago today...

We'll never know....