Greatest meet ever?

While scanning through the ESPN Classic listings looking for track, I've come across some of the all-time greatest sports contests. The greatest fight ever (the Rumble in the Jungle), one of the greatest college football games ever (Flutie's Hail Mary game vs Miami) and so on.

So what's the greatest track meet ever? Olympics, Worlds, and other contests that take a week or more just don't count as a "meet". Immediately the 1962 US-USSR dual comes to mind.

What do you guys think?

Re: Greatest meet ever?

>Olympics, Worlds, and other contests that take a week or more just don't count as a "meet". Immediately the 1962 US-USSR dual comes to mind.<

That was a two-day meet. The World Cup is usually three. NCAA and USATF Nationals this year were 4--the USATF has been as long as 5. So where do you draw this line between what counts as a meet and what doesn't?

[197hjsteve]

Re: Greatest meet ever?

ameet is a meet is a meet. Either evaluate them all or it's meaningless.

[tandfman]

Re: Greatest meet ever?

>>What do you guys think?<<

I guess what we think is that before we play a game, we should agree on the rules.

Re: Greatest meet ever?

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the 1983 US Champs in Indy a great meet.

If memory serves me, wasn't that the site of Carl's 19.75 in the 200 and his infamous 30" Long Jump. (Only the board judged says he scratched, replays looks like he hit it perfect and the tape shows it would have been right at 30 feet.)

Seems to me I remember a few other memorable races from that meet. Anyone have more details on it.

[197hjsteve]

Re: Greatest meet ever?

yeah, I was there...... how about the great duel in the 10 K between ( I think ) Salazar and Virgin in the middle of a cloudburst, under the lights ?! )

Carl's 19.75 speaks for itself.

I should remember more but I am having a Senior Moment.

Re: Greatest meet ever?

I was there too...staying out of the rain during that 10,000. Lewis's 200 was just too awesome. He was so smooth, that his waving and all well before the finish line looked like slow motion. At the time, this affected the crowd more than other world records because everyone knew that he would've just crushed the old record that day.

[BisonHurdler]

Re: Greatest meet ever?

Hey, does anyone have any tape or anything of that 30 foot jump?

[dj]

Re: Greatest meet ever?

No one has a tape of Lewis jumping 30 feet at the '88 Trials. It didn't happen there. That jump was at the 1982 USOC Sports Festival, also in Indy.

Re: Greatest meet ever?

The 1991 Tokyo WC's. The signature piece was of course the Powell-Lewis LJ in which Powell broke Beamon's WR and Lewis reeled off a bunch of spectacular jumps, too. The LJ competition was so amazing that even seeing it tape-delayed and knowing the outcome in advance, it was still spellbinding.

I'll have to do some additional research, but I think Lewis broke the 100 WR also in that meet, plus there were other great performances.

Also, the '68 Olympics yielded a bunch of WR's, but sticklers will note the high altitude. Plus, there was the drama of the Tommy Smith-John Carlos protest.

Re: Greatest meet ever?

How about a new twist. What was the greatest road race of all time? This could include Olympic Marathons.

[197hjsteve]

Re: Greatest meet ever?

Can't remember the exact year, but NY Marathon, when Rod Dixon had "moved up" to the Marathon,and in NY, he reeled in the leader in the last 3 or 4 miles,gaining the lead in the last 1/4 mile, sticks in my head as the best I can remember.

Re: Greatest meet ever?

I remember. Rod Dixon in the rain with cramping hamstrings chased down Geoff Smith who "blew up" at about 25 miles. I rember Geoff hugged the blue line for most of the last 6 or 8 miles instead of running the tangents through Central Park. Had he run the tangents, it should have been right at the finish that Dixon caught him.

Gutsy race by both Smith & Dixon, that day. Good vote.

Personally I like the battle between Beardsley and Salazar at the Boston Marathon in the early 80's (81 or 82). Hot day, tough races, two gutsy performers.

Re: Greatest meet ever?

That was 1983. I had just finished my first year of junior high cross country and wasn't sure there would be another. Then I saw that race. Hooked for life. There may be greater races (such as Chicago '99 or London '02) but none have more meaning for me.

[MJD]

Re: Greatest meet ever?

>That was 1983. I had just finished my first year
>of junior high cross country and wasn't sure
>there would be another. Then I saw that race.
>Hooked for life. There may be greater races
>(such as Chicago '99 or London '02) but none
>have more meaning for me.

I ran it. Didn't see the finish live obviously-too busy trying to keep Grete off my ass. But watched the finish of Dixon chasing down Smith on the big screen to some very loud music at the post race party at the Sheraton? maybe. They must have played it about 10 or 20 times in a row.