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1978 in the sport of athletics

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1978 in athletics
1977
1979

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]

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

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World

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Regional

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National

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Marathons

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World records

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Men

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Event Performance Athlete Nation Meeting Place Date
3000 m 7:32.1 Henry Rono  Kenya Oslo 1978-06-27
5000 m 13:08.4 Henry Rono  Kenya Berkeley 1978-04-08
10,000 m 27:22.47 Henry Rono  Kenya Vienna 1978-06-11
3000 m steeplechase 8:05.4 Henry Rono  Kenya Seattle 1978-05-13
High jump 2.34 Vladimir Yashchenko  Soviet Union Tbilisi 1978-06-16
Pole vault 5.71 Mike Tully  United States Corvallis 1978-05-19
Discus throw 71.16 Wolfgang Schmidt  East Germany Berlin 1978-08-09
Hammer throw 80.32 Karl-Hans Riehm  West Germany Heidenheim 1978-08-06
80.14 Boris Zaitchouk  Soviet Union Moscow 1978-07-09

Women

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Event Performance Athlete Nation Meeting Place Date
200 m 22.06 Marita Koch  East Germany Erfurt 1978-05-28
400 m 48.94 Marita Koch  East Germany 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-08-31
49.03 Marita Koch  East Germany Potsdam 1978-08-19
49.19 Marita Koch  East Germany Leipzig 1978-07-02
100 m hurdles 12.48 Grażyna Rabsztyn  Poland Fürth 1978-06-10
400 m hurdles 54.89 Tatyana Zelentsova  Soviet Union 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-09-02
4 × 100 metres relay 42.27 Johanna Klier
Monika Hamann
Carla Bodendorf
Marlies Göhr
 East Germany Potsdam 1978-08-19
High jump 2.01 Sara Simeoni  Italy Brescia 1978-08-04
2.01 Sara Simeoni  Italy 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-08-31
Long jump 7.09 Vilma Bardauskienė  Soviet Union 1978 European Athletics Championships Prague 1978-08-29
7.07 Vilma Bardauskienė  Soviet Union Kishinyov 1978-08-18
Discus throw 70.72 Evelin Jahl  East Germany Dresden 1978-08-12

Season's bests

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

Notes

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  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.
  8. ^ Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "World Record Progression (Women)". Retrieved 12 January 2012.

References

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