Irene Obera

Last updated
Irene Obera accepting the 2014 Masters Athlete of the Year Award Obera.jpg
Irene Obera accepting the 2014 Masters Athlete of the Year Award
Irene Obera receiving the 2014 Masters Athlete of the Year Award from Masters Chairman Gary Snyder OberaSnyder.jpg
Irene Obera receiving the 2014 Masters Athlete of the Year Award from Masters Chairman Gary Snyder

Irene Romona Obera (born December 7, 1933 in San Bernardino County, California) [1] is an American track and field athlete, specializing in sprinting events. Over an extended career, she has set numerous world records [2] and has won numerous world championships. She is currently a member of the W70 world record holding 4x100 metres relay team. [3] She also holds the current American record in the W60 and W75 100 metres and the W75 200 metres.

Obera found her way into the sport relatively late. In the amateur era, most athletes retired about the end of college when the life requirements to make money overrode the time commitment to become a great athlete. Obera attended Chico State College, playing field hockey, softball, and basketball. She graduated with a teaching credential in 1957. After graduation "I was at softball practice when a teammate told me she was a track champion,” she recalls. “I thought to myself, ‘If she is a champion, I know I can be one, too.’ You might say I was a bit cocky.” Obera ran in her first meet in 1958 and made the national championships in 1959 eventually running against the likes of Wilma Rudolph. She ran in the 1960 and 1968 Olympic Trials, the latter just a couple of months before her 35th birthday, running the 100 metres in 12.1 in the semifinals [4]

She was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in the June 18, 1962, issue. [5]

Obera made her career from 1958 to 1994 as an educator for the Berkeley Unified School District, eventually becoming Berkeley's first female continuation school principal. During her time in the district, Berkeley High School won the state State girls team title in 1974, 1976 and 1981–3, and the boys title in 1980–1. [6]

She was a pioneer in Masters athletics, but it wasn't easy at first. In 1974, she suffered a bout of Sarcoidosis which left her bedridden for most of the year. She heard about the first world Masters championships due to be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1975. She used the meet as a goal for her recovery. To her surprise, she didn't win there. It motivated her to return. [7]

It wasn't until she reached the 45 age group that world championship wins and records became commonplace. As she passed through each age division W45 to W70, she set the world record in the 200 metres. [8] She performed the same feat W50 to W65 at 100 meters. [9] And W50 through W60 at 400 metres. [10] On January 18, 2014 she became the oldest woman to break 40 seconds for the 200 metres, running 38.10 in an all comers track meet at the University of California, Berkeley. [11] [12]

After setting three world indoor records in the 60m, 200m and 400m, Obera was named USATF "Athlete of the Week" March 19, 2014. In the same meet, she also bested Mary Bowermaster's American record in a new event for her, the Shot Put, but Obera's new record was then bested in the same competition by Gloria Krug. USATF selected Obera ahead of a new M70 weight throw world record by Ed Burke, a new American 15K road racing record by Shalane Flanagan, Phyllis Francis beating Francena McCorory's American indoor record in the 400 meters and Kendell Williams setting an indoor World Junior record in the pentathlon during the same competitive week. [13] She received the honor again on March 25, 2015. [14]

On July 12, 2014, at San Francisco Track and Field Club's Pride Track & Field Meet in Hayward, California, Obera, W80, broke two world records in 80m hurdles and 200m hurdles. These marks were her sixth and seventh world marks this year. [15]

In 2019, she made her third appearance in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd," the first was in 1962. [16]

In 1996, Obera was elected into the inaugural class of the USATF Masters Hall of Fame. [17]

Related Research Articles

Mavis Hutchison was a South African athlete, primarily known for running in ultramarathons.

Marla Lee Runyan is an American track and field athlete, road runner and marathon runner who is legally blind. She is a three-time national champion in the women's 5000 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmelita Jeter</span> American sprinter

Carmelita Jeter is a retired American sprinter, who specialized in the 100 meters. She was the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the 100 m and a three-time Olympic medallist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Pierre</span>

Barbara Pierre is a Haitian-born American track and field sprint athlete who competes internationally for the United States. Her specialty is the 60-meter dash and the 100-meter dash. She had her highest world ranking in 2013, when she was the fourth fastest sprinter in the world over 100 m with her personal best of 10.85 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philipa Raschker</span> German-born American masters athlete (born 1947)

Eileen-Philippa "Phil" Raschker is a German-born American masters athlete.

Kathy Bergen is an American Masters athletics track and field athlete. She is the current world record holder in the W70 100 meters and the high jump. She also holds the Indoor World records for the W65 high jump, the W70 60 meters, 200 meters and high jump. And she holds the American record for the W70 200 meters and the W65 high jump. She is the oldest woman to break the 15 second barrier in the 100 meters and to break 32 seconds in the 200 meters. She is also the first 70-year-old woman to jump 1.30 meters in the high jump at USATF Masters Championships in Sacramento in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francena McCorory</span> American sprinter

Francena Lynette McCorory is a retired American track and field athlete, known primarily for running the 400 meters. She was the 2011 World bronze medalist in the 400 meters and was a member of the gold medal-winning 2012 and 2016 United States Olympic 4 x 400 m relay teams. She was the IAAF 400 meter Indoor World Champion in 2014. McCorory retired in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isiah Young</span> American track and field athlete (born 1990)

Isiah Young is an American track and field athlete who competes in the sprints. He was selected to compete for the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 200-meter dash.

Charonda Regina Williams is an American track and field athlete who competes in the sprint events. She is a 200-meter dash specialist and has a personal record of 22.55 seconds. She represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in that event. She also runs in the 100-meter dash and has a best of 11.14 seconds.

Aurieyall Scott is an American sprinter who specializes in the 60 and 100 meter dash (indoor) and 100, 200, and 400 meter dash (outdoor).

Kimberlyn Duncan is an American track and field athlete, specializing in the sprints. She was the 2013 American champion at 200 metres, having defeated Olympic champion Allyson Felix with a strong stretch run. Her time of 21.80 seconds from that race at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships would have ranked her as the 14th fastest female of all time, had it not been wind aided. She was 42nd on that 2013 list, from a qualifying heat at the NCAA Championships on the same Drake Stadium track a year earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tori Bowie</span> American sprinter and long jumper

Frentorish"Tori" Bowie is an American track and field athlete, who primarily competes in the 100 m and the 200 m. She has a personal record of 6.95 m for the long jump, set in 2014. She is the 2017 100m world champion, a 2016 Olympian and a three-time Olympic medalist.

Jack Eldred Greenwood was an American track and field athlete. He is the former world record holder in the 400 metres hurdles in the masters age divisions M45, M50, M55, M60 and M65. His hurdle records were so advanced, the shortest any of them lasted was almost ten years, all but one broken by the same athlete, German Guido Müller. He had a similar record over the short hurdles. He also had his time at the top of the M50 and M60 400 meters and ten years at the top of the M65 200 meters. Two of his marks survive to this day as American records.

Kaylin Whitney is an American track and field athlete, specializing in sprinting events. Over a two-day period, at the USATF Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, July 5 and 6, 2014, she set the world youth bests for 100 meters and 200 meters. Her 100-meter time, set on July 5 was 11.10 with an aiding wind of +0.9 mps. Her 200-meter time was 22.49 was set on July 6 with an aiding wind of +1.3. Youth bests can be set by athletes who will not reach their 18th birthday within the calendar year of competition. Her "bests" will also count as bests on the continental and national level.

The 2015 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships was held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Organised by USA Track and Field (USATF), the three-day competition took place from February 27 to March 1 and served as the national championships in track and field for the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasmine Todd</span> American track and field athlete (born 1993)

Jasmine Todd is an American track and field athlete who competes in the long jump and short sprinting events. She holds personal bests of 6.84 m for the long jump and 10.92 seconds for the 100-meter dash.

Kendall Baisden is an American track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400-meter dash. She holds a personal record of 50.46 seconds for the distance, set in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Norman (sprinter)</span> American sprinter

Michael Arthur Norman Jr. is an American sprinter. He holds the world best time in the indoor 400 meters at 44.52 seconds. Outdoors, his 43.45, set at the 2019 Mt. SAC Relays is tied as the #4 on the all time list. In 2016, he became the world junior champion in both the 200 meters and 4×100 meter relay. In 2022, he became the world champion in both the 400 meters and 4x400 meter relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dezerea Bryant</span> American sprinter

Dezerea Bryant is an American sprinter who is most known for the 100m & 200m events. She is a National Champion (2019) in the 200m dash and competed at the 2019 World Championships in Doha placing 5th in the open 200m and earned a Bronze Medal in the Women's 4x100m Relay. She has also earned 17 NCAA Division 1 All-American honors and won the NCAA 200m championship in 2015 over The Bowerman Award Winner, Jenna Prandini. Bryant set a low-altitude collegiate record in 200 metres with 22.18.

References

  1. ↑ "Irene Romona Obera, Born 12/07/1933 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. 1933-12-07. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  2. ↑ "Masters Track & Field Rankings". Mastersrankings.com. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  3. ↑ "Records Outdoor Women". Archived from the original on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  4. ↑ "The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track and Field" (PDF). Usatf.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  5. ↑ "Faces in the Crowd - 06.18.62 - SI Vault". Archived from the original on 3 March 2014.
  6. ↑ [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2016-10-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ "200 meter Dash ALL-TIME Rankings". Mastersathletics.net. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  9. ↑ "100 meter Dash ALL-TIME Rankings". Mastersathletics.net. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  10. ↑ "400 meter Dash ALL-TIME Rankings". Mastersathletics.net. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  11. ↑ "Cal All Comers : Edwards Stadium : Event 12 Mixed 200 Meter Dash" (TXT). Usatf.org. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  12. ↑ "Masterstrack.com » Hall of Famer Irene Obera comes out of retirement, claims W80 WR". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  13. ↑ "USA Track & Field - Irene Obera named USATF Athlete of the Week". Usatf.org. 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  14. ↑ "USA Track & Field - USATF Masters Icon Irene Obera earns Athlete of the Week". Usatf.org. 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  15. ↑ "Irene Obera Records: 7.12.14". Pausatf.org. 2014-07-12. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
  16. ↑ "Irene Obera sets a Sports Illustrated record — third time in 'Faces in the Crowd' since 1962". 5 May 2019.
  17. ↑ "Masters Hall of Fame". USATF.org. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.