Forgotten White Athletes?

mastermulti said:
I had the pleasure of being there that day.
Light rain and a blustery wind (the track is very close to the coast) which gave us that +4.2 wind in the final. What a shame because 20 year old Tim really looked our first sub 10 possibility here in 1989. Beautiful sprinter!
They had him kicking that leg out in front a la FloJo before grounding to claw back more powerfully but in the end his knees starting getting hurt. His legal best never passed 10.26 in Tonsberg although he was a great 2nd leg runner in our then world number 8 ever (time 38.17) 4x100 team in 1995.

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Maybe because he disappeared similar to Kaiser Sose I had never heard of him as I recall all of the various world class male Australian sprinters from the Moscow Olympics to this season.

Since the sport is only a semi pro sport for all but the elite super stars the sport will lose competitors due to economics from first world countries much easier than countries in Africa...
 
jacknyc said:
Great jump by Kravets. I believe she was also a long jumper...?
Jonathan Edwards also set a WR in the triple jump at the 1995 WC in Gothenburg.
Unfortunately don't see too many white women triple jumping these days.
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yes, and he was still reaching nearly 18m up to 2003. An incredible jumper
 
Does anyone know what happened to Cole Beck? I searched and all I can find is articles from a year or two ago. Looks like he went undrafted in the NFL and then failed to make a team and just faded away. I guess track wasn't his thing but that's kind of ironic as he's technically the fastest white American of all time. Of course this hit piece article on him was the first thing that came up. Of course it's filled with errors as Lemaitre's PB is 9.92. All it takes is a simple search to find the 100 meter time of the fastest white man but apparently that's too much to ask for a useless piece of garbage like the author. This article is a great example of blatant racism and the fact that it's still up shows that racism is ok in today's society as long as it's directed at the right people.

www.outkick.com

Fastest White Guy Of All-Time Smoked In NCAA 100m Championship

Cole Beck, a WR at Virginia Tech, is also the Hokies' best sprinter. His incredible senior season came to a close at the NCAA Championship.
www.outkick.com www.outkick.com
 
The author of this piece is a white simp and hates his own race.....how sad. I find it "surprising" that a white guy with a sub 10 100m who played football could not catch on with an NFL team..... Even if all he ever did was return punts he would be massively dangerous every time he got his hands on the ball. Makes one wonder....right?
 
NWsoccerfan said:
Does anyone know what happened to Cole Beck? I searched and all I can find is articles from a year or two ago. Looks like he went undrafted in the NFL and then failed to make a team and just faded away. I guess track wasn't his thing but that's kind of ironic as he's technically the fastest white American of all time. Of course this hit piece article on him was the first thing that came up. Of course it's filled with errors as Lemaitre's PB is 9.92. All it takes is a simple search to find the 100 meter time of the fastest white man but apparently that's too much to ask for a useless piece of garbage like the author. This article is a great example of blatant racism and the fact that it's still up shows that racism is ok in today's society as long as it's directed at the right people.

www.outkick.com

Fastest White Guy Of All-Time Smoked In NCAA 100m Championship

Cole Beck, a WR at Virginia Tech, is also the Hokies' best sprinter. His incredible senior season came to a close at the NCAA Championship.
www.outkick.com www.outkick.com
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That's quite a disgusting article, but it fits in with the rest of the writer's BS. I couldn't find anything in the past year on him either, I guess after not being signed in his 2024 Jets and Falcons minicamps, he has faded away completely. What I did find odd was that he wasn't mentioned at all in the 2024 US Olympic track and field trials, even though lots of articles presumed he would attend. So I wonder if his 2019 collarbone injury has had new complications, or if a focus on football made him not be in form for sprinting, though it definitely didn't seem a problem for 4 years after the injury.
 
His case is an odd one. The fastest time in the world that year (2023) was a 9.83 so his 9.97 wasn’t too far off the fastest guys. With some work he may have been able to get down into the 9.8’s and possibly make a relay team for the US. He is a very powerful runner when you watch him. He runs like a football player who wants to run through people so maybe a top coach could have refined him and turned him into a world elite sprinter. I guess we’ll never know now. And yes, he should have at least made a team as a receiver/returner. There are literally handfuls of blacks in the NFL who are undersized and underskilled but somehow make a roster because of their “speed”.
 
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White Lightning said:

Feature11 Jul 2025​

The short, spectacular career of Phyllis Green - the first woman to high jump five feet​

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“A wonderful new girl athlete was discovered during the women's inter-club athletic contest at Stamford Bridge [in west London] on Saturday,” eulogised the British newspaper the Daily Mirror, alongside photos of her on their front page. “Though she is only just over 17 and was competing for the first time at an open meeting, Miss Phyllis Green broke world record.” ..............
"However, Green was back in action on 5 July, representing London in an inter-city match involving Brussels and Paris in the Belgian capital and once again cleared 1.51m. One week later, she returned to Stamford Bridge – on the grounds of what is now the home to two-time Champions League winners and Premier League powerhouse Chelsea – for the third edition of the Wormen’s Amateur Athletics Association (WAAA) Championships and duly made history by clearing 5’0” (1.524m)."

Trying to erase what we now process in our minds to be common place - and keeping in mind the era, women's place in society, lack of coaching, lack of high jump mats (they cleared a bar and fell onto sand), lack of role models etc, a just-turned 17 year old sissor high jumping 5 feet is amazing
 
I was looking into Matt Shirvington's progression (regression) after he promised great things in Malaysia. His annual best performances:
199710.29+1.2Sydney, Sydney (AUS)12 OCT 1997
199810.03-0.1Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur (MAS)17 SEP 1998
199910.07-0.6London CGU British Grand Prix, Crystal Palace, London (GBR)07 AUG 1999
200010.11-0.3Sydney Australian Olympic Trials, Sydney (AUS)18 AUG 2000
200110.11+1.9Perth Telstra Athletics GP, Perth (AUS)04 MAR 2001
200210.19+1.8Osaka Japan Grand Prix, Osaka (JPN)11 MAY 2002
200310.09+1.2Runaway Bay Telstra A-Series, Brisbane (AUS)12 APR 2003
Two very good virtually equal years in 1998 and 1999, He basically held his own for only 1 more year (2000) then slowly regressed and thereafter, even with positive winds, he started losing speed.
So he had 3 years where sub 10 was possible with another 2 metres of wind (but still legal) - but those conditions only come given lots of competitions.
Basically, for many athletes it seems there are only a few years where the body can hold up to that intensity unless pharmaceutically assisted.
 
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Wasn't sure where to put this .... since we were talking about Russian sprinters, I wanted to see how many of the famous Soviet track athletes were actually Russian. I knew, for example, that Valeriy Borzov was from Ukraine.

I was somewhat surprised to find out that many of the great Soviet runners and jumpers on the men's side, were actually not Russian.
Sergey Bubka the great pole vaulter was also from Ukraine.
Double Olympic medalist Vladimir Kuts (5000m and 10000m), and Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, Mykola Avilov, were also from Ukraine. Vladimir Yashchenko (WR holder in the high jump) was also Ukrainian.
Igor Paklin, a world record holder in the high jump in the 1980s, was from Kyrgyzstan.
Viktor Sanyev, maybe the greatest triple jumper of all-time, was from the Republic of Georgia.
European record holder in the long jump, Robert Emmiyan was from Armenia.
Former European record holder in the long jump, Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, was Armenian-Ukrainian.
This is not a definitive list, just some famous names that came to mind.

Meanwhile, not all the great Soviet athletes were non-Russians.
Yuriy Borzakovskiy, gold medalist in the 800m was from Russia.
Valery Brumel, one of the greatest high jumpers ever, was from Russia.
 
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jacknyc said:
Wasn't sure where to put this .... since we were talking about Russian sprinters, I wanted to see how many of the famous Soviet track athletes were actually Russian. I knew, for example, that Valeriy Borzov was from Ukraine.

I was somewhat surprised to find out that many of the great Soviet runners and jumpers on the men's side, were actually not Russian.
Sergey Bubka the great pole vaulter was also from Ukraine.
Double Olympic medalist Vladimir Kuts (5000m and 10000m), and Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, Mykola Avilov, were also from Ukraine. Vladimir Yashchenko (WR holder in the high jump) was also Ukrainian.
Igor Paklin, a world record holder in the high jump in the 1980s, was from Kyrgyzstan.
Viktor Sanyev, maybe the greatest triple jumper of all-time, was from the Republic of Georgia.
European record holder in the long jump, Robert Emmiyan was from Armenia.
Former European record holder in the long jump, Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, was Armenian-Ukrainian.
This is not a definitive list, just some famous names that came to mind.

Meanwhile, not all the great Soviet athletes were non-Russians.
Yuriy Borzakovskiy, gold medalist in the 800m was from Russia.
Valery Brumel was from Russia.
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I believe it's listed that way as the Soviet Union was far larger than the Russia that we see today. Look how many people in Ukraine speak Russian and want to be part of Russia again. NATO doesn 't want that. They have a great history in track in field but when the Soviet Union fell they have not ever really been the same since. Way smaller and not as organized. However Russia is really making strides and they remind me alot of the America we used to know and love from many decades ago. Look at the Russian Subways for instance. They are beautiful. It is one of the last hopes for Europeans going forward other than Poland and Hungary.

I will say that the extreme cold and short summer in Russia hurt athletics in addition to the lack of funding and organizing. It is improving
slightly and that gives me hope for the future.

Great write up jacknyc. I enjoyed reading it.
 
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Yes, as the Soviet Union, all these countries performed better than today, as they were organized in one system.
None of the countries have performed as well since the break-up of the Soviet Union, but that may finally be changing.
 
Kathy Smallwood-Cook was the 5ft10.5" tall English athlete who held every British record from 100m, 200m and 400m for between 19 and 33 years. 11.10/100m, 22.10/200m and 49.40/400m and this in a time when the Soviets and East Germans were juiced to the gills.
Those times on today's tracks and with today's training, recovery and footwear should probably be a sub 11, sub 22 and maybe an even 49. Interestingly, the almost as tall Amy Hunt is showing similar times but does a 60m rather than a 400m



Her husband, Gary Cook, was a 1.44 /800m man who won a 4x400 Gold in Edmonton Com Games 1978, a Gold in in the 4 x 400m in Helsinki World Champs 1983, and a Silver in the 4x400 in LA 1984 - so was was obviously very reliable over 400m too.
He only had a 46.90 PB as an individual but he ran a 45 second split in L.A. Some people are just able to put it out there when in a team situation.
Too bad the kids didn't follow in their parents footsteps
 
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this guy was my favourite Aussie sprinter (before Damien Marsh took that spot). Paul Narracott - a 9.9 Australian record and a few 10 flats hand timed because many meets didn't include ET then in Australia.
His first run ever indoors was a good one. I can't recall all the competitors here, just Lewis (2nd) ,Thomas Schroder (3rd) and Quarrie (4th).
It ended up being the 6th fastest 60m of the year internationally and 4 of those ahead of him were all white Europeans. How 40 years has changed the landscape

Unfortunately he got injured soon afterwards while training hard for the LA Olympics and thus was under-done and a few metres down when the olympics came around. A pity because he was now 25 and had been in the best shape of his life.

The year before he was in the world champs final where he finished a close 7th, a metre down on the third placegetter.

He ran well against Wells, Quarrie and Mel Lattany when they visited Australia and missed 3rd place by inches in the 100m 1982 Com Games 100 against Wells and Johnson.
By the time of this race he had qualified as a dental surgeon and his sprinting took a back seat to his career after those LA games.

 
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mastermulti said:
this guy was my favourite Aussie sprinter (before Damien Marsh took that spot). Paul Narracott - a 9.9 Australian record and a few 10 flats hand timed because many meets didn't include ET then in Australia.
His first run ever indoors was a good one. I can't recall all the competitors here, only Lewis and Quarrie.

Unfortunately he got injured soon afterwards training hard for the LA Olympics , thus was under-done and a few metres down the olympics came around. A pity because he was now 25/26 and in the best shape of his life.
The year before he was in the world champs final where he finished a close 7th, a metre down on the third placegetter.

He ran well against Wells, Quarrie and Mel Lattany when they visited Australia and missed 3rd place by inches in the 100m 1982 Com Games 100 against Wells and Johnson.
By the end of 1984 he had completed his dental surgeon training and his sprinting took a back seat to his career.

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Thanks for this blast from that past. Man he just ran away from a world class field of sprinters. Very impressive. I've seen Carl Lewis beat
by many white guys until he found the FORMULA for success. :( As great as an athlete as Lewis was he had alot of help if you know what I mean.
 
jacknyc said:
Wasn't sure where to put this .... since we were talking about Russian sprinters, I wanted to see how many of the famous Soviet track athletes were actually Russian. I knew, for example, that Valeriy Borzov was from Ukraine.

I was somewhat surprised to find out that many of the great Soviet runners and jumpers on the men's side, were actually not Russian.
Sergey Bubka the great pole vaulter was also from Ukraine.
Double Olympic medalist Vladimir Kuts (5000m and 10000m), and Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, Mykola Avilov, were also from Ukraine. Vladimir Yashchenko (WR holder in the high jump) was also Ukrainian.
Igor Paklin, a world record holder in the high jump in the 1980s, was from Kyrgyzstan.
Viktor Sanyev, maybe the greatest triple jumper of all-time, was from the Republic of Georgia.
European record holder in the long jump, Robert Emmiyan was from Armenia.
Former European record holder in the long jump, Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, was Armenian-Ukrainian.
This is not a definitive list, just some famous names that came to mind.

Meanwhile, not all the great Soviet athletes were non-Russians.
Yuriy Borzakovskiy, gold medalist in the 800m was from Russia.
Valery Brumel, one of the greatest high jumpers ever, was from Russia.
Click to expand...
yes, I researched where they all came from years ago. I knew the Soviet Union comprised lots of countries and was motivated enough bak then to chase them up.
I did it all via newspaper clippings in those days - still have most of them
 
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jacknyc said:
A nice article about Jonathan Edwards and his triple jump record
(I enjoyed the above about Kathy Smallwood Cook. She was one of my favorites, who was overshadowed by the East Europeans.)

www.bbc.com

Jonathan Edwards' 30-year-old triple jump world record 'not a good sign for athletics'

Jonathan Edwards' triple jump world record has been standing for 30 years - why hasn't it been broken?
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
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I was so impressed when Edwards' record jumps were shown in this thread a couple years ago. Don't recall ever seeing an athlete more impressive to be frank about it. I can watch those jumps over and over, his speed and athleticism are fantastic.

Bob Beamon shattered the long jump record at the 1968 Mexico City Games. He received plenty of accolades then and after. Eventually his jump was surpassed in 1991 by American Mike Powell. So it stood for 23 years, but Edwards' amazing jumps haven't been beaten for 30 years now and counting. Beamon became a celebrated household name, but how many of those same fans even know who Jonathan Edwards is?

​
 
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