1975 World Association of Veteran Athletes Championships


1975 World Association of Veteran Athletes Championships is the first in a series of World Outdoor Championships.
The first international athletics competitions for older athletes had taken place in 1972, when the United States Masters International Track Team and the Canadian Masters International Track Team organized a tour of Europe along with Australian and European athletes.
The minimum age limit for this tour was 40 years, all men, with athletes divided into 10-year age groups called Veterans.
This tour was called the "Olympic Tour" since it coincided with the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
Following the success of this tour, the CMITT organized the first Championships in this series under the sponsorship of Canadian National Exhibition.
This inaugural Championships took place in Toronto, Canada, from 11 to 16 August 1975.
The main venue was Centennial Park Stadium in the Etobicoke district of Toronto,
while Cross Country was held in Sunnybrook Park.
The minimum age limit was 40 years for men and 35 years for women for this first Championships, with age groups of 5-year divisions for men and 10-year divisions for women.
Younger athletes competed in the age group 30-39: Class 0 for men and Class 0W for women.
In meetings at the University of Toronto during the competitions, the World Association of Veteran Athletes was proposed as a governing body to organize future Championships in the series.
A Local Organising Committee would work in coordination with WAVA in running the Championships; the 1975 LOC was CMITT led by Don Farquharson,
Farquharson would be elected WAVA president during General Assembly at the 1977 Championships.
WAVA was renamed World Masters Athletics at the 2001 Championships in Brisbane, Australia.
In addition to a full range of track and field events,
non-stadia events included 10K Cross Country, 25K Race Walk, and Marathon.

Controversy

The Canadian government attempted to ban South African and Rhodesian athletes due to the apartheid policy of their governments at that time, threatening to withdraw financial support if those athletes participated.
After much discussion, those athletes were allowed to compete as individuals and not as members of the South African national team. A 5-member Yugoslavia team pulled out in protest of the South Africans participation. Anne McKenzie was a notable South African athlete, winning 4 gold medals.

Results

Past Championships results are archived at WMA.
Additional archives are available from Museum of Masters Track & Field
as a pdf book.
With over 1,400 individual participants and 5,000 starts, this claimed to be the largest track and field meet ever held in North American to that point in time.
Among the notable performances, Jack Greenwood, Al Guidet, and Theo Orr had 4 victories, and Norm Bright had 3. Bright would suffer a car accident in 1978 that caused near blindness, but he would continue to compete in the Championships at least until 1981.
Results for 1975 are from Museum of Masters Track & Field pdf book unless otherwise noted.
World records are indicated by.
EventAge GroupAthlete NameCountryTime
100 meters----
M30G. Paton10.8
M40Thane Baker11.1
M45Jack Greenwood11.6
M50Richard Stolpe11.7
M55Al Guidet12.1
M60Yngve Brange12.9
M65John Caruso13.6
M70Winfield McFadden14.6
W30A Parish13.2
W40C. Payne/England12.3
3. Irene Obera12.5
W50Anne McKenzie14.9
200 meters----
M30Reginald Austin22.1
M40Manfred Garbisch22.7
M45Jack Greenwood23.8
M50Richard Stolpe24.7
M55Al Guidet25.3
M60Fritiof S. Sjöstrand27.2
M65Ken Carnine29.6
M80Fritz Schreiber44.7
M85Duncan MacLean/Scotland49.2
M90Charles Speechley/England53.3
400 meters----
M40Manfred Garbisch50.7
M45Don Cheek52.9
M50Richard Stolpe55.1
M55Al Guidet57.4
M60Fritiof S. Sjöstrand1:00.2
M65C. Kline1:05.8
W30A. Parish1:03.0
W40C. Mill58.9
W50Anne McKenzie1:05.8
800 meters----
M30W. Stewart1:55.0
M40L. Means2:00.2
5. Ed Whitlock2:01.3
M45L. Vagsmyr2:02.6
M50Bill Fitzgerald2:01.9 WR
M55J. Stevens2:21.3
M60Rıza Maksut İşman2:23.9
M65Norm Bright2:27.2
1500 meters----
M30W. Stewart3:58.9
M40A. Thomas3:59.5
4. Ed Whitlock4:02.5
M45A. Hughes/England4:15.3
M50B. Fitzgerald4:23.4
M55O. Evland4:48.9
M60A. Andberg5:01.3
M65Norm Bright4:59.8 WR
M70Harold Chapson5:35.5
W30S. Kieffer4:43.2
W40W. Klopfer5:05.7
W50Anne McKenzie5:07.3
3000 meters----
M40A. Thomas8:26.8
M45A. Hughes/England9:11.8
M50Theo Orr9:22.2 WR
M55J. Gilmour9:28.0
M60William Andberg10:46.9 WR
M65Merv Jenkinson10:52.0
2. Norm Bright11.14.0
5000 meters----
M40Roy Fowler/England14:52.0
M45B. Jernhester16:25.0
M50Theo Orr16:41.0
M55J. Gilmour17:02.0
M60R. McMinnis/England18:26.4
M65T. Jensen19:04.2
W30Susie Buchanan18:48.4
W40Dorothy Stock19:26.4
2. Toshiko D'Elia19:26.8
W50Anne McKenzie19:33.4
10000 meters----
M30E. Fry30:42.2
M40Roy Fowler/England31:19.6
M45R. Franklin/England34:01.6
M50Theo Orr34:09.0
2. Jim O'Neil34:24.2
M55F.G. McGrath34:05.4
M60R. McMinnus/England38:17.0
M65T. Jensen39:16.0
110 meters hurdles----
M40Léopold Marien14.7 (+1.3) WR
M45Jack Greenwood15.6
M50A. Findeli15.9 WR
M55Burl Gist18.9
M60G. Braceland20.2
M65R. Lacey23.0
400 meters hurdles----
M40G. Shapiro/England1:00.0
M45Jack Greenwood57.8
M50Wal Sheppard1:05.3 WR
M55Al Guidet1:07.9
M60G. Braceland1:12.9
M65R. Lacey1:24.5
3000 meters steeplechase----
M40Hal Higdon9:16.6
M45B. Jernhester10:28.0
M50Theo Orr10:36.6
M55O. Elvland11:43.6
M60Robert Boal12:33.6
M65Norm Bright12:24.8
High Jump----
M40S. Pettersson1.95
M45Ed Austin1.65
M50G.A. Bartlett1.58
M55Burl Gist1.58
M60I. Hume1.45
M65A. Reiser1.30
Pole Vault----
M40Walter Kostric4.42
2. Phil Mulkey3.90
3. Dave Tork3.90
M45Roger Ruth4.27
2. Jerry Donley3.65
M50D. Brown3.25
Unofficial Boo Morcom4.00
M55Jim Vernon3.40
M60I. Hume2.80
M65R. MacConaghy2.45
Long Jump----
M40Dave Jackson6.37
M45Shirley Davidson6.52
M50Boo Morcom5.57
M55Gordon Farrell4.98
M60H. Schneider4.89
M65John Caruso3.93
Triple Jump----
M40Dave Jackson13.63
M45V. Guardia12.76
M50G. Bartlett11.00
M55Gordon Farrell10.79
M60I. Hume10.45 WR
M65John Caruso8.57
Shot Put----
M40E. R. McComas16.23
M45J. Pavelich12.53
M50Hermann Hombrecher17.56 WR
3. Bill Bangert15.03
M55N. Heard13.59
M60Konstanty Maksimczyk England11.96
M65T. Resell10.14
M70F. Posluschni12.15
Discus Throw----
M40E. R. McComas49.90
M45S. Duplessis45.02
M50Kauko Jouppila51.62
4. Bill Bangert41.48
M55T. McDermott40.78
2. Dan Aldrich40.72
M60Konstanty Maksimczyk England42.76
M65Ken Carnine32.30
M70S. Herrmann33.08
Hammer Throw----
M40A. Payne/England63.22
M45T. Mullins53.34
M50D. Vanhegan/England40.76
M55T. McDermott39.52
M60J. Fraser/Scotland44.50 WR
M65A. Reiser32.92
Javelin Throw----
M40B. Conley62.78
M45H. Werner54.56
M50R. Mikelsons47.34
M55B. Morales48.40
2. Dan Aldrich45.24
M60Chuck McMahon37.80
M65R. MacConaghy34.58
2. Ken Carnine32.30
10K Cross Country----
M40Roy Fowler/England32:52
3. Hal Higdon34:06
M45A. Taylor34:50
M50M. VandeWattyne36:53
M55B. Borman39:10
M60R. McMinnis/England41:03
M65T. Jensen42:08
M70K. Carlsson48:02
W45Dorothy Stock45:07
W50Ruth Anderson46:11
Marathon----
M40E. Austin/England2:28:23
M45A. Walsham/England2:29:53
M50L. Carlsohn2:45:55
M55F. McGrath2:40:44
M60Gordon Porteous/Scotland2:51:17 WR
M65E. Laiho3:49:08
3. Walt Stack3:53:13
M70G. Vang4:02:55