PR Improvements for a WR

[Kevin]

This morning on ESPN Classic, I watched Pat Matsdorf set a WR in the US-USSR Dual meet at 7'6.25". The announcer (Ralph Boston) stated that it improved Pat's PR from 7'2". Other than Beamon's obvious PR improvement, what are some other huge personal bests when attaining a World Record?

[Powell]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

Even better than Matzdorf: Rudolf Povarnitsyn's PR before his 2.40 WR was 2.26.

[gh]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

Actually, Matzdorf's previous PR was 7-4.5...... set 5-10 minutes earlier! :-)

Dwight Stones, having seen the guy jump in person, basically refuses to believe the Povarnitsin mark. It was so anomalous that he didn't even make the World Rankings (top 10 that is) that year.

[Powell]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

Povarnitsyn's record might have been a fluke, but he did jump high on a couple of occasions afterwards, notably winning the bronze in Seoul with 2.36. Consistency seemed to be his problem.

[MJD]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

I know road runnin' don't get no respect around these here parts but there must have been either a men's or women's record that would fall into this category.

[Per Andersen]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

I am pretty sure that if Matzdorf's 2.29 had occurred in a more obscure meet many people would have refused to believe it. As Powell points out Povarnitsin did 2.36 in the Olympics for bronze.
He was not as good as Avdeyenko and Paklin but he was for real. Did Matzdorf ever again come within 4cm of that 2.29?

[Rufus Cookie]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

didnt Jurgen Schult go from 68.82m to 74.08m?

Michael Johnson 19.66 to 19.32

[gh]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

discus PRs are irrelevant to this discussion, given what the wind can (and in Schult's case, did) do.

MJ isn't even the 200's improvement recordholder.

[dukehjsteve]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

>I am pretty sure that if Matzdorf's 2.29 had occurred in a more obscure meet
>many people would have refused to believe it. As Powell points out Povarnitsin
>did 2.36 in the Olympics for bronze.
He was not as good as Avdeyenko and
>Paklin but he was for real. Did Matzdorf ever again come within 4cm of that
>2.29?

Per, w/o looking it up I think his best after that was 7'4"/2.23'ish at US/Africa meet at Duke, 5 cm+. less.

[jhc68]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

Per, I SAW Matzdorf's WR jump on live TV and I STILL refused to believe it !!! :-P It was one of the flukiest performances ever... Pat had the elevation to jump higher but his technique was, well, indescribable.

[gh]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

Excellent point about if Matzdorf had been in an obscure meet. And that he never came particularly close again. Next meet after the WR was 2.235/7-4, then after several down years he flopped 2.24/7-4.25 in '75

[slowcat]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

Ron Clarke-28:16 to 27:39 [10000m]

[Hedgehog]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

Grigoriy Taran had an 8:45 steeple PR, ran a WR 8:31.2, and never beat 8:43.6 again. Circa 1961.

[Rufus Cookie]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

so gary, Bob Beamon (altitude?) can be said no problem at all but Discus is a no go zone?

[The King]

Re: PR Improvements for a WR

What about Paula for the Marathon?

From 2:17:18 to 2:15:25...that's gotta be up there?

Or does the Marathon not really count due to varying differences in courses?