Popular Nostalgia

You are browsing the archives of Athletics.

I remember being woken up by my Dad one night in 1968. He shook me awake and said, “I just thought you would like to know that Bob Beaman has leapt over the sandpit”. It was amazing – the world record has since stood for twenty three years. It was such a long jump that [...]

I remember Abebe Bikila winning the 1960 Rome Olympics men’s marathon – barefoot! My image of him is just how slight he was and wondered where the energy came from to do what he was doing. He was the first person to win two Olympic marathons, winning the Tokyo in 1964. In between these two [...]

Al Oerter was an gold medal winning discus thrower from 1956 to 1968. He was among a group of gigantic shot put throwers and discus throwers who were nearly seven feet tall and very impressive to a young boy of seven! Al sadly passed away in 2007.
About the Author
Steve Haywood is a personal trainer from [...]

Herb Elliot never lost a race over 1500m or a mile. He broke the four minute mile on 17 occasions. He took middle distance running to a whole new level. As a young boy watching him compete, I’m sure he fired me up for my future spent running. It wasn’t just his physicality, it was [...]

Came second in the 100m dash (as it was called then!) at the 1960 Rome Olympics. She was a Barnsley lass, which generated a lot of local interest. She became something of a heroine and still has the track and stadium named after her at Cudsworth near Barnsley.
About the Author
Steve Haywood is a personal trainer [...]

On a 14″ black and white screen, the Press sisters’ performance in the 1960 Rome Olympics is my first recollection of the games. I remember being a bit baffled because I couldn’t tell the difference between the Press sisters and the men. It later became obvious that they had disappeared about the same time as [...]