As we wrap up our first full year of meets since the onset of COVID in 2020, let’s take this opportunity to reflect on the many MTF happenings this past year.
It has been an extremely busy year with association and regional Masters championships around the country, the National Senior Games in Florida in May, the WMA Championships in Finland at the end of June and early July, the National Masters Throws Championships in Massachusetts in mid-July, the Outdoor Masters Championships in Kentucky at the end of July, and the National Masters Combined Events Championships in Missouri at the end of August.
Highlights from WMA Championship – Tampere, Finland
Whenever we come together for a WMA Championship, we focus on two important components – the competition, of course, and the meeting of the WMA General Assembly. A full report on Team USATF Masters at the Tampere WMA Championships can be viewed here.
The Competition. Team USATF Masters had a very successful WMA Championship. Overall, US athletes finished in third place on the medal table behind host nation Finland and nearby Germany. Below is the final medal table showing the actual number of athletes from each country who competed (as opposed to registered) as well as the number of medals won for the top ten countries:
| Country | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| FINLAND | 954 | 128 | 134 | 121 | 383 |
| GERMANY | 253 | 79 | 61 | 43 | 183 |
| USA | 240 | 72 | 60 | 43 | 175 |
| GBR | 272 | 70 | 54 | 46 | 170 |
| SPAIN | 175 | 40 | 39 | 23 | 102 |
| FRANCE | 149 | 38 | 28 | 27 | 93 |
| ITALY | 133 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 69 |
| SWEDEN | 142 | 19 | 17 | 27 | 63 |
We are proud of all our competitors who put forth their best efforts with much success!
Meeting of the WMA General Assembly. The WMA General Assembly met on July 4, 2022, during a break in the competition schedule. At that meeting, a number of decisions were made, namely:
- Alan Bell of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was elected as Vice President for Competition and Juan Ordóñez of Mexico was elected as Secretary, and Lynne Schikert of Australia was re-elected as Executive Secretary. Each of them will serve four-year terms.
- Daegu, South Korea was selected to host the 2026 WMA Outdoor Championships from July 14-26, 2026.
- Bidding for the 2025 WMA Indoor Championships was re-opened following the withdrawal of Spokane, Washington’s bid to host the event.
- The following changes were made to the Rules of Competition:
- The amount of time permitted for each attempt in the throwing and horizontal jumping events in increased from 30 seconds to 60 seconds, effective January 1, 2023 (NOTE: This will require a change in the USATF Rules at the 2022 USATF Annual Meeting in December in Orlando, Florida to be effective for competitions held in the U.S.).
- The barrier height for the 3000m Steeplechase is decreased from 36” (0.914m) to 33” (0.838m) (NOTE: This change was adopted, but the WMA Council added the proviso that this would only become effective once the new barriers were “widely available” worldwide – we will continue to monitor this situation for our steeplechase competitors.).
- For record purposes, where athletes W70+ or M80+ are competing alone in the 200m hurdles, in fully accredited meetings their time achieved will be considered for record purposes when all other requirements are met. (NOTE: The argument in favor of this is that often athletes competing in the long hurdles in those age groups are the only ones competing over 200m because younger hurdlers compete over 300m or 400m)
- In response to a series of proposals to change hurdle heights and spacing, a special commission is being appointed to thoroughly study the issue and report back before the next WMA General Assembly meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2024.
- Proposals to alter race walk rules to relax the bent knee rule for older athletes and to permit a larger diameter 1kg discus were rejected.
USATF Outdoor National Masters Championships – Lexington, Kentucky
The Outdoor USATF Masters Championships held in Lexington, Kentucky at the end of July had the largest turnout (1253 athletes entered) of any Masters Outdoor Championships since the 2010 meet in Sacramento, California. Twenty American Age Group records were broken or set during the meet, including twelve in relays and eight in individual events. The individual event record setters were:
- Michelle Rohl – W55, 800m and 1500m
- Lisa Veneziano – W55, 10,000m
- Ed Burke – M80, Hammer Throw
- Toccata Murphy – W50, 400m
- Sue McDonald – W55, 400m
- Carol Finsrud – W65, Discus Throw
- Robert Paulen – M85, 200m Hurdles
Full meet results may be viewed on the meet website.
Unfortunately, the medals ran out on the last day of competition. We have the list of all athletes who are still entitled to a medal and have ordered sufficient medals to cover the shortfall. Athletes who did not receive their medals on Sunday at the meet should receive them by mid-October. Unfortunately, medals must be ordered long before a meet, and the order is placed based on historical numbers. This year we had the largest turnout since 2010, which threw our calculations off, so this is a good news/bad news situation. The missing medals are on the way!
Report on the 2022 National Masters Throws Championships – Dedham, Massachusetts
On a very hot and humid weekend in July, 53 competitors gathered at the Northeastern University Dedham campus to compete across 69 event entries in the Throws Pentathlon, the UltraWeight Pentathlon and the Superweight. Competitors ranged from age 32-91 for the women and 36-90 for the men. Gloria Krug (W91) set the UltraWeight Pent record in her age group with 4077 points. Carol Finsrud (W65) set the Throws Pentathlon record in her age group with 5183 points. She also set American age group records in the Hammer with a throw of 40.97m and in the Discus with a throw of 34.64m. Full meet results may be viewed on the usatfmasters.org Results page.
The venue was excellent with lower and upper fields available and a new Ultras area for Sunday. Starting with the Meet & Greet hosted by Bob & Robin Cedrone on Friday night, the athletes and officials and volunteers combined for a great weekend of throwing and camaraderie. The banquet Saturday was a success. Thanks to the Twilight Throwers Board of Directors, the officials organized by Tim Morse and volunteers for an excellent meet!
Shortly after the meet, the Throwing Events Subcommittee announced the winners of the 2021-22 Throws Awards:
Carol Finsrud Award for Lifetime Achievement as a Masters Thrower
- 2021 – Mary Roman
- 2022 – George Mathews
Ken Weinbel Award for Contributions to the Masters Throwing Community
David Bickel of the Arizona Desert Throwers
Tom Gage Award to the Male Thrower of the Year
Scott Erickson
Vanessa Hilliard Award to the Female Thrower of the Year
Angela Herzner
The 2023 National Masters Throws Championships will be held August 5-6, 2023, at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
Report on the 2022 National Masters Combined Events Championships – St. Charles, Missouri
The 2022 National Masters Outdoors Combined Events Championships took place at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri on August 27 and 28, 2022. The meet was hosted by Lindenwood University, with officials and meet support provided by the USATF Ozark Association. Bill Murray served as the Meet Referee.
Fifty-six athletes registered, with 54 competing in the Championships, including ten women and 44 men, with ages ranging from 22 to 85+. Athletes from 33 states across the nation as well as competitors from Kenya and Canada contested the Women’s Heptathlon, Women’s Decathlon, and Men’s Decathlon.
Three American records were broken during competition (pending verification and ratification):
- Roger Vergin, M85, Decathlon, 6021 (current record 5858)
- Barbara Warren, W75, Decathlon, 4206 (no current record)
- Daphne Scott, W60, Decathlon, 7221 (current record 6946)
Inclement weather prevented the completion of the competition for M25-M60 age groups.
Full meet results are linked from the meet website.
The 2023 National Masters Indoor Combined Events Championships will be held January 21-22, 2023, at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
