Mark Murro

Last updated

Marcus Paul "Mark" Murro (born June 4, 1949) [1] is an American former javelin thrower. Murro held the United States record in men's javelin throw from 1969 to 1982 and competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Career

Murro broke the national high school record in men's javelin throw in 1967 while attending Essex Catholic High School in Newark, New Jersey, throwing 252 ft 8 in (77.01 m). [2] In June 1968 he placed third at the national championships; [3] three months later he won at the United States Olympic trials with a throw of 263 ft 9 in (80.39 m), defeating national champion Frank Covelli and qualifying for the Olympic Games in Mexico City. [4] Murro was the top American at the Olympics, throwing 80.08 m (262 ft 8+1⁄2 in) and placing ninth; [1] [4] Track & Field News ranked him as the world's 10th best javelin thrower that year. [5] The magazine put him on the cover of its April 1969 issue. [6]

Murro continued improving in the next years, breaking Covelli's American record with a throw of 292 ft 8 in (89.21 m) in Tempe, Arizona on May 23, 1969. [7] [8] Murro won both the NCAA championship (representing Arizona State) and the national championship that year, [3] [9] with his national championship mark of 284 ft 3 in (86.64 m) breaking Al Cantello's meeting record from 1960. [3] [10] He was ranked fourth in the world that year, behind Jānis Lūsis, Pauli Nevala and Jorma Kinnunen. [5]

Murro broke his own American record on March 27, 1970, again in Tempe; [7] [11] with his throw of 300 ft 0 in (91.44 m) he became the first American to reach 300 feet, as well as the first to break 90 meters. [1] However, two months later at the Compton Invitational he slipped while throwing and sprained his ankle, [12] missing the NCAA meet and failing to qualify for the national championship final as a result. [9] [13] While he continued competing, he never regained his pre-injury level; [14] in 1970 he ranked a career-best third in the world, behind Nevala and Manfred Stolle, but after that year he never featured in the world's top 10 again. [5] At the 1972 Olympic Trials Murro placed eighth and failed to qualify for the Olympic team. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauli Nevala</span> Finnish javelin thrower

Pauli Lauri Nevala is a Finnish former javelin thrower.

Franklin Wesley "Bud" Held is an American athlete primarily notable for his performance throwing the javelin. He was born in Los Angeles, California.

Ronald Lee Jourdan was an American college and Olympic track and field athlete. Jourdan was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in the high jump from Florida and member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team. Jourdan, along with Reynaldo Brown of California, were the last great American high jumpers to use the straight-leg straddle, the style which dominated the sport in the 1950s and 1960s. Jourdan's personal best was 7 feet 3 inches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Bartlett</span> American javelin thrower

Lee Marion Bartlett was an American javelin thrower. He competed at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and placed 16th, 5th and 12th, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships</span> Sports tournament

The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Olympics, World Athletics Championships, Pan American Games, NACAC Championships, or an IAAF Continental Cup, the championships serve as a way of selecting the best athletes for those competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint Hanner</span> American javelin thrower

John Flint Hanner was an American track and field athlete and coach. He qualified for the 1920 Summer Olympics, won the first NCAA javelin championship in 1921 and later worked as the track coach at Fresno State University for 35 years. He was also one of the founders and the long-time director of the West Coast Relays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kara Winger</span> American javelin thrower (b. 1986)

Kara Estelle Winger is an American track and field athlete; she competes in the javelin throw. She is the American record holder in the javelin throw with a distance of 68.11 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Whiting</span> American shot putter (b. 1986)

Ryan Keith Whiting is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and has a personal record of 22.28 meters outdoors and 22.35 meters indoors. His biggest international senior success to date is first place at the 2012 World Indoor Championships. He represented the United States at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, 2013 World Championships in Athletics, 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.

Samuel Crouser is an American javelin thrower. He is a 2015 alumnus of the University of Oregon.

Riley Dolezal is an American track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. His personal record for the event is 83.50 m and he is the 2013 and 2017 United States Javelin champion. He now works at Horace High School as a gym and health teacher

Henry Francis Dreyer was an American athlete. He competed in the 1936 and 1948 Summer Olympics as a hammer thrower; his other strong event was the non-Olympic weight throw, in which he broke the world record several times. Between the two events and counting both outdoors and indoors, he won twenty United States championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horace Odell</span>

Horace Paul "Hop" Odell, Jr. was an American javelin thrower. Odell was IC4A champion in 1933 and 1934 and United States champion in 1935.

Richard Alvah Barber was an American long jumper. Barber won the long jump at the 1932 United States Olympic Trials and qualified for the 1932 Summer Olympics, where he played fifth. He was IC4A long jump champion in 1931 and 1932.

Chester "Chet" Cruikshank was an American track and field athlete. Cruikshank was national champion in men's hammer throw in 1939 and 1942 and national junior champion in 1935; he was also a good discus thrower. During World War II he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in the Battle of Anzio.

Irving Henry "Shorty" Folsworth was an American hammer thrower and weight thrower. He was a seven-time United States champion and briefly held the indoor world record in men's weight throw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Frenn</span> American hammer thrower and weight thrower

George Michael Frenn was an American hammer thrower, weight thrower and powerlifter. Frenn set world bests in the outdoor and indoor weight throws, won two medals in the Pan American Games and competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.

The 1932 United States Olympic trials for track and field were held on July 15 and July 16, 1932 and decided the United States team for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The trials for men and women were held separately; men competed in Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California, while women competed in Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. Both meetings also served as the annual United States outdoor track and field championships. For the first time, only the top three athletes in each event qualified for the Olympics; until 1928, every nation had been allowed four entrants per event.

The 1936 United States Olympic trials for track and field were held in July 1936 and decided the United States team for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. The trials for men and women were held separately; men's events were held at Randall's Island Stadium in New York City on July 11 and July 12, while women competed at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island on July 4. The top three athletes in each event qualified for the Olympic Games. The women's meeting also served as the annual outdoor track and field championships of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU); the men's AAU championships were held separately a week before the Olympic trials.

Maggie Malone-Hardin is an American track and field athlete competing in the javelin throw. She holds a personal record of 67.40 meters for the event, set in 2021, a national record. She was the 2016 American national and collegiate record holder and NCAA Division 1 champion. She is the American collegiate record holder. Maggie and Sam Hardin married in 2022.

Amelia Wood was an American track and field athlete who competed in throwing events, specializing in the javelin throw. She was a Pan American Games champion and a 1956 Olympian.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mark Murro Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Prep Javelin Mark". The Arizona Republic . June 1, 1967. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 ">Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 16, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "World Rankings – Men's Javelin" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved December 1, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Past Covers 1969". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  7. 1 2 "USA Records Progression: Men, Javelin Throw". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  8. ↑ "ASU's Mark Murro Sails Javelin 292-8". The Arizona Republic . May 24, 1969. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved December 1, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Evans, Carlos Break AAU Records". Pacific Stars and Stripes . July 2, 1969. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Murro reaches 300 foot mark". Scottsdale Progress . March 28, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  12. ↑ "LaBenz Trounces Liquori In Mile". Oakland Tribune . June 7, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  13. ↑ "UCLA Soph Posts Upset In AAU 440". European Stars and Stripes. June 29, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Mark Murro". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  15. ↑ Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
Records
Preceded by United States record holder in men's javelin throw
May 23, 1969 – Apr 17, 1982		Succeeded by
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.