1959 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships

1959 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
Dates	February 21 (men) January 24 (women)
Host city	New York City, New York, United States (men) Washington, D.C., United States (women)
Venue	Madison Square Garden (men) D.C. Armory (women)
Level	Senior
Type	Indoor
Events	20 (12 men's + 8 women's)
← 1958 1960 →

The 1959 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships were organized by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and served as the national championships in indoor track and field for the United States.

The men's edition was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, and it took place February 21. The women's meet was held separately at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C., taking place January 24. ^[1]

At the men's championships, five world records were set including a mark of 4:02.5 in the indoor mile by Ron Delany. 15,789 spectators attended the men's edition. ^{[2] [3]}

After two exhibition races the prior year, it was the first time that the women's 440 yards and 880 yards were contested, and the first time that any distance longer than 220 yards was added. ^{[4] [5]}

Medal summary

Men

Event	Gold		Silver		Bronze
60 yards	Paul Winder	6.1
600 yards	Josh Culbreath	1:11.1
1000 yards	Zbigniew Orywal  (POL)	2:12.6	Paul Schmidt  (GER)		Arnold Sowell
Mile run [lower-alpha 1]	Ron Delany  (IRL)	4:02.5	Istvan Rozsavolgyi  (HUN)		Lazlo Taboi  (HUN)
3 miles	Bill Dellinger	13:37.0
60 yards hurdles	Elias Gilbert	7.3
High jump	John Thomas	2.16 m
Pole vault	Don Bragg	4.60 m
Long jump	Mike Herman	7.64 m
Shot put	Parry O'Brien	18.94 m
Weight throw	Bob Backus	20.18 m
1 mile walk	John Humcke	6:42.2

Women

Event	Gold		Silver		Bronze
50 yards	Wilma Rudolph	6.2
100 yards	Martha Hudson	11.4
220 yards	Lucinda Williams	26.6
440 yards	Lillian Greene	63.4
880 yards	Harriet Douthitt	2:36.3
70 yards hurdles	Jo Ann Terry	9.7
High jump	Ann Marie Flynn	1.54 m
Standing long jump	Jo Ann Terry	2.71 m
Shot put	Marjorie Larney	12.07 m
Basketball throw	Amelia Wood	101 ft 81⁄2 in (31 m)

References

1. "UNITED STATES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
2. "Delany's 4:02.5 Sets Mile Mark". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 22 Feb 1959. p. 97. Retrieved 23 Aug 2024.
3. "Delany, Thomas Pace AAU Record Parade". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 22 Feb 1959. p. 104. Retrieved 23 Aug 2024.
4. "UNITED STATES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (WOMEN)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
5. "Cleveland Girls Run 1-2 in National AAU 880". The Plain Dealer. 25 Jan 1959. p. 52. Retrieved 4 Sep 2024.

Results

• "UNITED STATES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
• "UNITED STATES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (WOMEN)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

Notes

1. The top American and U.S. champion was Pete Close in 4th place.