1978 in the sport of athletics

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1978 in athletics
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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]

Contents

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

World

Regional

National

Marathons

World records

Men

EventPerformanceAthleteNationMeetingPlaceDate
3000 m7:32.1 Henry Rono Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya Oslo1978-06-27
5000 m13:08.4 Henry Rono Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya Berkeley1978-04-08
10,000 m27:22.47 Henry Rono Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya Vienna1978-06-11
3000 m steeplechase8:05.4 Henry Rono Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya Seattle1978-05-13
High jump2.34 Vladimir Yashchenko Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Tbilisi1978-06-16
Pole vault5.71 Mike Tully Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Corvallis1978-05-19
Discus throw71.16 Wolfgang Schmidt Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Berlin1978-08-09
Hammer throw80.32 Karl-Hans Riehm Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany Heidenheim1978-08-06
80.14 Boris Zaitchouk Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Moscow1978-07-09

Women

EventPerformanceAthleteNationMeetingPlaceDate
200 m22.06 Marita Koch Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Erfurt1978-05-28
400 m48.94 Marita Koch Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague1978-08-31
49.03 Marita Koch Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Potsdam1978-08-19
49.19 Marita Koch Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Leipzig1978-07-02
100 m hurdles12.48 Grażyna Rabsztyn Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Fürth1978-06-10
400 m hurdles54.89 Tatyana Zelentsova Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague1978-09-02
4 × 100 metres relay42.27 Johanna Klier
Monika Hamann
Carla Bodendorf
Marlies Göhr 		Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Potsdam1978-08-19
High jump2.01 Sara Simeoni Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Brescia1978-08-04
2.01 Sara Simeoni Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague1978-08-31
Long jump7.09 Vilma Bardauskienė Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague1978-08-29
7.07 Vilma Bardauskienė Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Kishinyov1978-08-18
Discus throw70.72 Evelin Jahl Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Dresden1978-08-12

Season's bests

Best marks of the year
EventMenWomen
AthleteMarkNotesAthleteMarkNotes
100 metres Flag of the United States.svg  Clancy Edwards  (USA)
Flag of the United States.svg  Eddie Hart  (USA)
Flag of the United States.svg  Steve Williams  (USA)		10.07Flag of East Germany.svg  Marlies Göhr  (GDR)10.94
200 metres Flag of the United States.svg  Clancy Edwards  (USA)20.03Flag of East Germany.svg  Marita Koch  (GDR)22.06 WR
400 metres Flag of Cuba.svg  Alberto Juantorena  (CUB)44.27Flag of East Germany.svg  Marita Koch  (GDR)48.94 WR
800 metres Flag of East Germany.svg  Olaf Beyer  (GDR)1:43.84Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Tatyana Providokhina  (URS)1:55.80
1500 metres Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  David Moorcroft  (GBR)3:35.48Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Giana Romanova  (URS)3:59.01
Mile run Flag of Germany.svg  Thomas Wessinghage  (FRG)3:52.50Flag of Norway.svg  Grete Waitz  (NOR)4:26.90
3000 metres Flag of Kenya.svg  Henry Rono  (KEN)7:32.1 WR Flag of Norway.svg  Grete Waitz  (NOR)8:32.1
5000 metres Flag of Kenya.svg  Henry Rono  (KEN)13:08.4 WR —
10,000 metres Flag of Kenya.svg  Henry Rono  (KEN)27:22.47 WR —
Marathon Flag of Japan.svg  Shigeru So  (JPN)2:09:05.6Flag of the United States.svg  Julie Brown  (USA)2:36:23.1
100/110 metres hurdles Flag of the United States.svg  Greg Foster  (USA)13.22Flag of Poland.svg  Grażyna Rabsztyn  (POL)12.48 WR
400 metres hurdles Flag of the United States.svg  Edwin Moses  (USA)47.94Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Tatyana Zelentsova  (URS)54.89
3000 metres steeplechase Flag of Kenya.svg  Henry Rono  (KEN)8:05.4—
High jump Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Vladimir Yashchenko  (URS)2.34 mFlag of Italy.svg  Sara Simeoni  (ITA)2.01 m WR
Pole vault Flag of the United States.svg  Mike Tully  (USA)5.71 m WR —
Long jump Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Nenad Stekić  (YUG)8.32 mFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Vilma Bardauskienė  (URS)7.09 m WR
Triple jump Flag of Brazil.svg  João Carlos de Oliveira  (BRA)17.44 m—
Shot put Flag of East Germany.svg  Udo Beyer  (GDR)22.15 mFlag of East Germany.svg  Ilona Slupianek  (GDR)22.06 m
Discus throw Flag of East Germany.svg  Wolfgang Schmidt  (GDR)71.16 m WR Flag of East Germany.svg  Evelin Jahl  (GDR)70.72 m WR
Hammer throw Flag of Germany.svg  Karl-Hans Riehm  (FRG)80.32 m WR —
Javelin throw Flag of Germany.svg  Michael Wessing  (FRG)94.22 mFlag of East Germany.svg  Ruth Fuchs  (GDR)69.16 m
Decathlon Flag of Germany.svg  Guido Kratschmer  (FRG)8493 pts—
4 × 100 metres relay Tobias Striders
Flag of Panama.svg  Guy Abrahams  (PAN)
Flag of the United States.svg  Michael Simmons  (USA)
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Don Quarrie  (JAM)
Flag of Guyana.svg  James Gilkes  (GUY)		38.55Flag of East Germany.svg East Germany
Johanna Klier
Monika Hamann
Carla Bodendorf
Marlies Göhr 		42.27 WR
4 × 400 metres relay Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany
Martin Weppler
Franz-Peter Hofmeister
Bernd Herrmann
Harald Schmid 		3:02.03Flag of East Germany.svg East Germany
Christiane Marquardt
Barbara Krug
Christina Lathan
Marita Koch 		3:21.20

Notes

  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. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "World Record Progression (Women)" . Retrieved 12 January 2012.

References

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