Wikipedia

1978 in the sport of athletics

In 1978, the foremost international competitions in the sport of athletics were the 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 1978 European Athletics Championships.[1][2] High-profile athletics competitions were also held at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1978 All-Africa Games and the 1978 Asian Games.[3][4][5]

1978 in athletics
← 1977
1979 →

Among the most prominent athletes that year was Kenya's Henry Rono who, in the space of 81 days, broke four world records: the 10,000 m (27:22.5), the 5000 m (13:08.4), the 3000 m steeplechase (8:05.4), and the 3000 m (7:32.1).[6][7] In the course of the season East German Marita Koch also broke a world record four times, running 22.06 for the 200 m and breaking the 400 m three times, concluding the run with a time of 48.94 to win the European title.[8]

Major events edit

World edit

Regional edit

National edit

Marathons edit

World records edit

Men edit

Event Performance Athlete Nation Meeting Place Date
3000 m 7:32.1 Henry Rono   Kenya Oslo 1978-06-27
5000 m 13:08.4 Henry Rono   Kenya Berkeley 1978-04-08
10,000 m 27:22.47 Henry Rono   Kenya Vienna 1978-06-11
3000 m steeplechase 8:05.4 Henry Rono   Kenya Seattle 1978-05-13
High jump 2.34 Vladimir Yashchenko   Soviet Union Tbilisi 1978-06-16
Pole vault 5.71 Mike Tully   United States Corvallis 1978-05-19
Discus throw 71.16 Wolfgang Schmidt   East Germany Berlin 1978-08-09
Hammer throw 80.32 Karl-Hans Riehm   West Germany Heidenheim 1978-08-06
80.14 Boris Zaitchouk   Soviet Union Moscow 1978-07-09

Women edit

Event Performance Athlete Nation Meeting Place Date
200 m 22.06 Marita Koch   East Germany Erfurt 1978-05-28
400 m 48.94 Marita Koch   East Germany 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-08-31
49.03 Marita Koch   East Germany Potsdam 1978-08-19
49.19 Marita Koch   East Germany Leipzig 1978-07-02
100 m hurdles 12.48 Grażyna Rabsztyn   Poland Fürth 1978-06-10
400 m hurdles 54.89 Tatyana Zelentsova   Soviet Union 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-09-02
4 × 100 metres relay 42.27 Johanna Klier
Monika Hamann
Carla Bodendorf
Marlies Göhr		   East Germany Potsdam 1978-08-19
High jump 2.01 Sara Simeoni   Italy Brescia 1978-08-04
2.01 Sara Simeoni   Italy 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-08-31
Long jump 7.09 Vilma Bardauskienė   Soviet Union 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-08-29
7.07 Vilma Bardauskienė   Soviet Union Kishinyov 1978-08-18
Discus throw 70.72 Evelin Jahl   East Germany Dresden 1978-08-12

Season's bests edit

Best marks of the year
Event Men Women
Athlete Mark Notes Athlete Mark Notes
100 metres   Clancy Edwards (USA)
  Eddie Hart (USA)
  Steve Williams (USA)		 10.07   Marlies Göhr (GDR) 10.94
200 metres   Clancy Edwards (USA) 20.03   Marita Koch (GDR) 22.06 WR
400 metres   Alberto Juantorena (CUB) 44.27   Marita Koch (GDR) 48.94 WR
800 metres   Olaf Beyer (GDR) 1:43.84   Tatyana Providokhina (URS) 1:55.80
1500 metres   David Moorcroft (GBR) 3:35.48   Giana Romanova (URS) 3:59.01
Mile run   Thomas Wessinghage (FRG) 3:52.50   Grete Waitz (NOR) 4:26.90
3000 metres   Henry Rono (KEN) 7:32.1 WR   Grete Waitz (NOR) 8:32.1
5000 metres   Henry Rono (KEN) 13:08.4 WR —
10,000 metres   Henry Rono (KEN) 27:22.47 WR —
Marathon   Shigeru So (JPN) 2:09:05.6   Julie Brown (USA) 2:36:23.1
100/110 metres hurdles   Greg Foster (USA) 13.22   Grażyna Rabsztyn (POL) 12.48 WR
400 metres hurdles   Edwin Moses (USA) 47.94   Tatyana Zelentsova (URS) 54.89
3000 metres steeplechase   Henry Rono (KEN) 8:05.4 —
High jump   Vladimir Yashchenko (URS) 2.34 m   Sara Simeoni (ITA) 2.01 m WR
Pole vault   Mike Tully (USA) 5.71 m WR —
Long jump   Nenad Stekić (YUG) 8.32 m   Vilma Bardauskienė (URS) 7.09 m WR
Triple jump   João Carlos de Oliveira (BRA) 17.44 m —
Shot put   Udo Beyer (GDR) 22.15 m   Ilona Slupianek (GDR) 22.06 m
Discus throw   Wolfgang Schmidt (GDR) 71.16 m WR   Evelin Jahl (GDR) 70.72 m WR
Hammer throw   Karl-Hans Riehm (URS) 80.32 m WR —
Javelin throw   Michael Wessing (FRG) 94.22 m   Ruth Fuchs (GDR) 69.16 m
Decathlon   Guido Kratschmer (FRG) 8493 pts —
4 × 100 metres relay Tobias Striders
  Guy Abrahams (PAN)
  Michael Simmons (USA)
  Don Quarrie (JAM)
  James Gilkes (GUY)		 38.55   East Germany
Johanna Klier
Monika Hamann
Carla Bodendorf
Marlies Göhr		 42.27 WR
4 × 400 metres relay   West Germany
Martin Weppler
Franz-Peter Hofmeister
Bernd Herrmann
Harald Schmid		 3:02.03   East Germany
Christiane Marquardt
Barbara Krug
Christina Lathan
Marita Koch		 3:21.20

Notes edit

  1. ^ IAAF World Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  2. ^ European Athletics Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  3. ^ All-Africa Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  4. ^ Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  5. ^ Asian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  6. ^ Payne, Bob (November 12, 1978). "Henry Rono: Rival runners know he's world's greatest". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
  7. ^ Marshall, Joe (December 3, 1979). "Rono is all revved for Moscow". Sports Illustrated. p. 98.
  8. ^ Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "World Record Progression (Women)". Retrieved 12 January 2012.

References edit

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