1961 USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet

The 1961 USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet was an international track and field competition between the Soviet Union and the United States. The third in a series of meetings between the nations, it was held on July 15–16 in Lenin Stadium, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and finished with Soviet Union beating the United States 179 to 163. A total of 33 events were contested, 22 by men and 10 by women.

1961 USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet
DatesJuly 15–16, 1961
Host cityMoscow, Soviet Union
VenueLenin Stadium
LevelSenior
TypeOutdoor
Events32
Participation2 nations
1959
1962

A total of five world records were broken at the competition – the most of any meeting in the series. Home athletes Valeriy Brumel, Tatyana Shchelkanova and Tamara Press set records in field events, while Ralph Boston and the American women's 4 × 100 meters relay team set world standards for the visitors.

World records edit

Date Athlete Nation Sex Event Record
1961-07-15 Hayes Jones
Frank Budd
Charles Frazier
Paul Drayton
  United States Men 4 × 100 m relay 39.1
1961 Valeriy Brumel   Soviet Union Men High jump 2.24 m
1961 Ralph Boston   United States Men Long jump 8.28 m
1961 Willye White
Ernestine Pollards
Vivian Brown
Wilma Rudolph
  United States Women 4 × 100 m relay 44.3
1961 Tatyana Shchelkanova   Soviet Union Women Long jump 6.48 m
1961 Tamara Press   Soviet Union Women Discus throw 57.43 m

Results edit

Team score edit

Team Men Women Total
  Soviet Union 111 68 179
  United States 124 39 163

Men edit

Event Result Athlete Nation
100 m 10.3 Frank Budd   United States (USA)
200 m 20.8 Frank Budd   United States (USA)
400 m 46.7 Ulis Williams   United States (USA)
800 m 1:46.8 Jerry Siebert   United States (USA)
1500 m 3:43.8 Jim Beatty   United States (USA)
5000 m 13:58.4 Pyotr Bolotnikov   Soviet Union (URS)
10,000 m 31:40.6 Yury Zakharov   Soviet Union (URS)
4 × 100 m relay 39.1   United States (USA)
4 × 400 m relay 3:08.8   United States (USA)
110 m hurdles 13.8 Hayes Jones   United States (USA)
400 m hurdles 50.5 Clifton Cushman   United States (USA)
3000 m steeplechase 8:35.4 Nikolay Sokolov   Soviet Union (URS)
20 km walk 1:38:11.2 Gennadiy Solodov   Soviet Union (URS)
High jump 2.24 m Valeriy Brumel   Soviet Union (URS)
Pole vault 4.69 m John Uelses   United States (USA)
Long jump 8.28 m Ralph Boston   United States (USA)
Triple jump 16.68 m Vitold Kreyer   Soviet Union (URS)
Shot put 18.48 m Gary Gubner   United States (USA)
Discus throw 58.46 m Jay Silvester   United States (USA)
Hammer throw 66.34 m Vasily Rudenkov   Soviet Union (URS)
Javelin throw 83.12 m Viktor Tsybulenko   Soviet Union (URS)
Decathlon 7615 pts Yuriy Kutenko   Soviet Union (URS)

Women edit

Event Result Athlete Nation
100 m 11.3 Wilma Rudolph   United States (USA)
200 m 23.4 Maria Itkina   Soviet Union (URS)
800 m 2:05.4 Lyudmila Lysenko   Soviet Union (URS)
4 × 100 m relay 44.3 Willye White
Ernestine Pollards
Vivian Brown
Wilma Rudolph
  United States (USA)
80 m hurdles 10.6 Irina Press   Soviet Union (URS)
High jump 1.70 m Taisia Chenchik   Soviet Union (URS)
Long jump 6.48 m Tatyana Shchelkanova   Soviet Union (URS)
Shot put 17.25 m Tamara Press   Soviet Union (URS)
Discus throw 57.43 m Tamara Press   Soviet Union (URS)
Javelin throw 54.79 m Elvīra Ozoliņa   Soviet Union (URS)

References edit

  • Turrini, Joseph M. "It Was Communism Versus the Free World": The USA-USSR Dual Track Meet Series and the Development of Track and Field in the United States, 1958-1985. Journal of Sport History, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Fall 2001), pp. 427–471. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  • The Cold War Track Series 1958-1965. Racing Past. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  • Лёгкая атлетика. Справочник / Составитель Р. В. Орлов. — М.: «Физкультура и спорт», 1983. — С. 155–178, 385.
  • Матчи СССР — США // Лёгкая атлетика. Энциклопедия / Авторы-составители В. Б. Зеличёнок, В. Н. Спичков, В. Л. Штейнбах. — М.: «Человек», 2012. — Т. 1. — С. 623. — ISBN 978-5-904885-80-9.