1978 in the sport of athletics
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]
1978 in athletics | |
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← 1977 1979 → |
Years in the sport of athletics |
1978 in sports |
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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
World
- World Cross Country Championships
- 1978 World Military Track and Field Championships
- 1978 Commonwealth Games
Regional
- 1978 All-Africa Games
- 1978 Asian Games
- 1978 Balkan Athletics Championships
- 1978 CARIFTA Games
- 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games
- 1978 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics
- 1978 European Athletics Championships
- 1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships
- 1978 European Champion Clubs Cup
- 1978 South American Junior Championships in Athletics
- 1978 South American Youth Championships in Athletics
- 1978 Southern Cross Games
National
- 1978 Italian Athletics Championships
- 1978 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- 1978 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
- 1978 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
- 1978 UK Athletics Championships
- 1978 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- 1978 USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet
World records
Men
Event | Performance | Athlete | Nation | Meeting | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3000 m | 7:32.1 | Henry Rono | ![]() | Oslo | 1978-06-27 | |
5000 m | 13:08.4 | Henry Rono | ![]() | Berkeley | 1978-04-08 | |
10,000 m | 27:22.47 | Henry Rono | ![]() | Vienna | 1978-06-11 | |
3000 m steeplechase | 8:05.4 | Henry Rono | ![]() | Seattle | 1978-05-13 | |
High jump | 2.34 | Vladimir Yashchenko | ![]() | Tbilisi | 1978-06-16 | |
Pole vault | 5.71 | Mike Tully | ![]() | Corvallis | 1978-05-19 | |
Discus throw | 71.16 | Wolfgang Schmidt | ![]() | Berlin | 1978-08-09 | |
Hammer throw | 80.32 | Karl-Hans Riehm | ![]() | Heidenheim | 1978-08-06 | |
80.14 | Boris Zaitchouk | ![]() | Moscow | 1978-07-09 |
Women
Event | Performance | Athlete | Nation | Meeting | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
200 m | 22.06 | Marita Koch | ![]() | Erfurt | 1978-05-28 | |
400 m | 48.94 | Marita Koch | ![]() | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-08-31 |
49.03 | Marita Koch | ![]() | Potsdam | 1978-08-19 | ||
49.19 | Marita Koch | ![]() | Leipzig | 1978-07-02 | ||
100 m hurdles | 12.48 | Grażyna Rabsztyn | ![]() | Fürth | 1978-06-10 | |
400 m hurdles | 54.89 | Tatyana Zelentsova | ![]() | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-09-02 |
4 × 100 metres relay | 42.27 | Johanna Klier Monika Hamann Carla Bodendorf Marlies Göhr | ![]() | Potsdam | 1978-08-19 | |
High jump | 2.01 | Sara Simeoni | ![]() | Brescia | 1978-08-04 | |
2.01 | Sara Simeoni | ![]() | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-08-31 | |
Long jump | 7.09 | Vilma Bardauskienė | ![]() | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-08-29 |
7.07 | Vilma Bardauskienė | ![]() | Kishinyov | 1978-08-18 | ||
Discus throw | 70.72 | Evelin Jahl | ![]() | Dresden | 1978-08-12 |
Season's bests
Notes
- IAAF World Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- European Athletics Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- All-Africa Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- Asian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- Payne, Bob (November 12, 1978). "Henry Rono: Rival runners know he's world's greatest". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
- Marshall, Joe (December 3, 1979). "Rono is all revved for Moscow". Sports Illustrated. p. 98.
- Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "World Record Progression (Women)". Retrieved 12 January 2012.
References
- Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "Season Bests by Year (Men)". Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "Season Bests by Year (Women)". Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "World Record Progression (Men)". Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Matti Koskimies (1 January 2012). "World Record Progression (Women)". Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- World Marathon Rankings for 1978. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 2023-08-07