 |
| Liquori defeats Olympic Silver Medalist & World Record Holder Jim Ryun for 1969 NCAA Mile Crown |
Marty Liquori, America's premier mile and 5000 meter man in the 1970s and the youngest ever 1500 meter Olympic finalist, turns 64 years old today. The third prep runner in history to break the 4:00 mile, Liquori won 4 NCAA mile titles for Villanova (including the 1969 victory over Jim Ryun shown above). He is still the last American runner to be ranked #1 in the world at the mile (1969 and 1971) and the last American runner to be ranked #1 in the world at 5000 meters (1977). He set American records over two miles (his 8:17.12 from 1975 lasted 19 years) and twice at 5000 meters (13:15.1). He lives in Gainesville, Florida, where is a professional jazz guitarist.
He is still the last American runner to be ranked #1 in the world at the mile (1969 and 1971) and the last American runner to be ranked #1 in the world at 5000 meters (1977). UNBELIVEABLE!
ReplyDeleteHi Frank: it just goes to show you (a) how good he was at the time and (b) how US distance running has lagged once the Africans entered international competition in large numbers.
ReplyDelete