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This is a follow up to a similar post for the men on July 24. It will be posted in more than 1 installment because it is far more involved than the men, and there are also some comparisons with the men included.
When looking at all-time WR lists some interesting and surprising results sometimes pop up. These facts for the women in some cases parallel those of the men and in some cases are vastly different. While women now have (with the exception of the walks, which are not included here) the same events as the men (generically speaking), 2 events, the TJ and the hammer, date only from 1988, and the fiberglass PV only from 1969.
There have been approximately 563 record improvements by women in 111 years.. The most prolific year for WR’s by women was 1972 (26). The least prolific years (at least in the “modern era”) were 1946/1966 with 0. 1947 had 1 only (javelin). The most prolific decade for women was the 1970’s with 137 records, but as with the men, they have steadily declined since then (1980’s 126, 1990’s 59, 2000’s 39). In fact, if you ignore the PV (an event with little fiberglass history), the women are no more able to set records (20) in the 2000’s than are the men. And if you ignore the hammer and the javelin (the other events in which there is little history) the women are much worse with only 13 records since the turn of the century to the men’s 19. While the men have set no records in the field since 1996 (and only then with the “new” javelin), the women have set only 9 records on the track, if you consider the marathon a “track” event. If not, they have set only 5 to the men’s 16. Again, if you ignore the PV, the hammer and the javelin, 3 very recent events (the “new” javelin dates only from 1999), there have been no women’s field records set since 1988. Of the 23 “standard”events for women (including the mile) for which there are WR’s kept, 12 were set in the 1980’s and another 4 were set prior to 1994.
The earliest recorded record (as far as I could find) for men is in the year 1900 (400m). For women it is 1897.
Surprisingly, there are records listed for the women’s PV dating from 1897 for 3 women, with the best height being 1.41m (4’ 7.5”). Altogether there have been 73 recorded improvements to the women’s PV record, more than any other event, men or women (although the PV leads the men’s lists also with 69 improvements). The “modern” age of the PV for women dates from 1979 (The US’s Irene Spieker, 3.05m or 10’0”). Starting in 1988 the records came fast and furious, with 61 improvements in the intervening 20 years. Part of this is due to the “Bubka-ing” of the record by Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia. Of her 14 record clearances, 12 were by 1 cm over the existing record. During this time the record has been raised 34 times, 32 times by a total of 3 women (George, AUS – 12 times, Dragila, US – 6 times, and Isinbayeva). During this time the record has been raised from 4.23m to 5.03m, or 31.5”. On the all-time lists, the US actually has more PV record improvements with 25, than Russia, which only ties with China for 2nd with 18 each.
Isinbayeva is not the first woman to “Bubka” a jumping record. The great Romanian high jumper Iolanda Balas (1956 thru 1961), set the record 14 times, raising it from 1.75m (5’ 9.25”) to 1.91m (6’ 3.5”) over this span, 12 times by 1 cm. She was probably being rewarded by the communist regime at the time for WR’s. In the era since 1945 (WW2), only Mildred McDaniel has held the record for the US (1956-1.76m (5’ 9.5”). West Germany’s Ulriche Meyfahrt set a record in 1972 and again 11 years later.
The US women have never held the WR in the 400m, 800m, 1500m, 100mH, 4x4 relay (GDR 7 times), discus, SP, SC or hammer (except for Carol Cady with the initial hammer WR in 1988, which she held for a little over 2 years). The last time the US held the 4x1 relay record was 1968 (Mexico City-42.8 ht) while the GDR (the current WR holder at 41.37) had set it 13 times. In the modern era, Eastern Block athletes have always held the SP record and the discus record, with Russia accounting for 50 WR’s in these 2 events. With two exceptions, Eastern Block athletes have always held the WR in the 100mH. Chi Cheng of Taiwan held it briefly in 1970, and Pamela Ryan of Australia in 1972. In fact, since WW2 only 23 US women have ever held a world record, excluding relays. Rudolph, Griffith-Joyner and Joyner-Kersee have each held 2.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is the only US women to hold the world record in the LJ (1987). She is also the only women to have set a WR in the heptathlon using the newer 1985 tables. She has held the record since 1988, a span of 20 years. Ramona Neubert (GDR) also set the heptathlon record 4 times using the pre-1985 scoring tables. The USSR has 28 of the 42 SP improvements. Kathy Schmitt (1977, 69.32m or 227’ 5”) is the only US athlete to hold the WR in the javelin since 1932. Sheila Hudson is the only US athlete to hold the WR in the TJ, at 13.78m/45’ 2.5” in 1987. In fact, Mary Decker-Slaney is the only US women to hold a WR at any flat race distance longer than 200m, except for the Marathon (last to do it, Joan Benoit, 1983). Kim Batten (400m hurdles, 1983) is the only other one to hold any running record longer than 200m (except as noted). Slaney set records twice in the mile and once in the 5000m.
When looking at all-time WR lists some interesting and surprising results sometimes pop up. These facts for the women in some cases parallel those of the men and in some cases are vastly different. While women now have (with the exception of the walks, which are not included here) the same events as the men (generically speaking), 2 events, the TJ and the hammer, date only from 1988, and the fiberglass PV only from 1969.
There have been approximately 563 record improvements by women in 111 years.. The most prolific year for WR’s by women was 1972 (26). The least prolific years (at least in the “modern era”) were 1946/1966 with 0. 1947 had 1 only (javelin). The most prolific decade for women was the 1970’s with 137 records, but as with the men, they have steadily declined since then (1980’s 126, 1990’s 59, 2000’s 39). In fact, if you ignore the PV (an event with little fiberglass history), the women are no more able to set records (20) in the 2000’s than are the men. And if you ignore the hammer and the javelin (the other events in which there is little history) the women are much worse with only 13 records since the turn of the century to the men’s 19. While the men have set no records in the field since 1996 (and only then with the “new” javelin), the women have set only 9 records on the track, if you consider the marathon a “track” event. If not, they have set only 5 to the men’s 16. Again, if you ignore the PV, the hammer and the javelin, 3 very recent events (the “new” javelin dates only from 1999), there have been no women’s field records set since 1988. Of the 23 “standard”events for women (including the mile) for which there are WR’s kept, 12 were set in the 1980’s and another 4 were set prior to 1994.
The earliest recorded record (as far as I could find) for men is in the year 1900 (400m). For women it is 1897.
Surprisingly, there are records listed for the women’s PV dating from 1897 for 3 women, with the best height being 1.41m (4’ 7.5”). Altogether there have been 73 recorded improvements to the women’s PV record, more than any other event, men or women (although the PV leads the men’s lists also with 69 improvements). The “modern” age of the PV for women dates from 1979 (The US’s Irene Spieker, 3.05m or 10’0”). Starting in 1988 the records came fast and furious, with 61 improvements in the intervening 20 years. Part of this is due to the “Bubka-ing” of the record by Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia. Of her 14 record clearances, 12 were by 1 cm over the existing record. During this time the record has been raised 34 times, 32 times by a total of 3 women (George, AUS – 12 times, Dragila, US – 6 times, and Isinbayeva). During this time the record has been raised from 4.23m to 5.03m, or 31.5”. On the all-time lists, the US actually has more PV record improvements with 25, than Russia, which only ties with China for 2nd with 18 each.
Isinbayeva is not the first woman to “Bubka” a jumping record. The great Romanian high jumper Iolanda Balas (1956 thru 1961), set the record 14 times, raising it from 1.75m (5’ 9.25”) to 1.91m (6’ 3.5”) over this span, 12 times by 1 cm. She was probably being rewarded by the communist regime at the time for WR’s. In the era since 1945 (WW2), only Mildred McDaniel has held the record for the US (1956-1.76m (5’ 9.5”). West Germany’s Ulriche Meyfahrt set a record in 1972 and again 11 years later.
The US women have never held the WR in the 400m, 800m, 1500m, 100mH, 4x4 relay (GDR 7 times), discus, SP, SC or hammer (except for Carol Cady with the initial hammer WR in 1988, which she held for a little over 2 years). The last time the US held the 4x1 relay record was 1968 (Mexico City-42.8 ht) while the GDR (the current WR holder at 41.37) had set it 13 times. In the modern era, Eastern Block athletes have always held the SP record and the discus record, with Russia accounting for 50 WR’s in these 2 events. With two exceptions, Eastern Block athletes have always held the WR in the 100mH. Chi Cheng of Taiwan held it briefly in 1970, and Pamela Ryan of Australia in 1972. In fact, since WW2 only 23 US women have ever held a world record, excluding relays. Rudolph, Griffith-Joyner and Joyner-Kersee have each held 2.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is the only US women to hold the world record in the LJ (1987). She is also the only women to have set a WR in the heptathlon using the newer 1985 tables. She has held the record since 1988, a span of 20 years. Ramona Neubert (GDR) also set the heptathlon record 4 times using the pre-1985 scoring tables. The USSR has 28 of the 42 SP improvements. Kathy Schmitt (1977, 69.32m or 227’ 5”) is the only US athlete to hold the WR in the javelin since 1932. Sheila Hudson is the only US athlete to hold the WR in the TJ, at 13.78m/45’ 2.5” in 1987. In fact, Mary Decker-Slaney is the only US women to hold a WR at any flat race distance longer than 200m, except for the Marathon (last to do it, Joan Benoit, 1983). Kim Batten (400m hurdles, 1983) is the only other one to hold any running record longer than 200m (except as noted). Slaney set records twice in the mile and once in the 5000m.
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