Weir Wouldn’t Be Denied In Throwing Events
It took a sometimes-frustrating three years, but Robert Weir finally beat fellow SMU teammate Richard Olsen in the hammer throw.
Weir thought he had it in the second year of their rivalry at the 1982 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Provo, Utah.
That’s when Weir led the competition until the last round at 73.24m (240-3). But Olsen, the defending champion, came back from a 7-foot deficit with a final effort of 73.30m (240-6) to snatch the victory. Weir’s only consolation from a second-straight NCAA runner-up finish to his teammate was leaving with the meet record, having tossed 73.34m (240-7) in the qualifying round.
“I knew from past experience that Richard will always be there. And he was,” Weir said.
That was the last time Weir lost to Olsen, who then owned a career 10-0 head-to-head edge in the hammer.
The pendulum swung in Weir’s favor in 1983, and the Englishman threw first notice with a world best in the weight throw of 23.64m (77-6¾) in early January before winning a second NCAA Indoor title in March. In April, he notched his first hammer win over Olsen and took Olsen’s collegiate record away at 74.06m (243-0).
At the 1983 NCAA DI Outdoor Championships in Houston, no one could touch Weir. After a first-round foul he took the lead at 72.60m (238-2) – a mark that would end up being long enough to win but would be his shortest effort of the day.
In Round 4, Weir broke his own meet record with a 73.86m (242-4) heave, then followed up by improving his CR to 74.42m (244-2) to win by more than 11 feet. Olsen ended up third behind Declan Hegarty of Boston University.
Interestingly, Weir’s CR wasn’t a PR. The previous fall he had won the Commonwealth Games with an “all-dates” collegiate best of 75.08m (246-4).
Weir’s postseason success also repeated in 1983 as he extended his world best in the weight throw to 24.14m (79-2½) in September, even though his specific training for the event had ended in March.
The NCAA and collegiate track & field will mark a momentous milestone in the spring of 2021 -- the 100th anniversary of the NCAA Championships and with that, the NCAA Track & Field Championships. In June 1921, the University of Chicago hosted the first track & field championships in NCAA history.
This point can’t be emphasized enough: Not only was the event the first for NCAA track & field, but the first championships for any sport under the sponsorship of the NCAA.
To celebrate, over each of the next 365 days, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will celebrate moments, student-athletes, and coaches that have made a century’s worth of championships special. From humble beginnings to important historical milestones to the modern-day, collegiate track & field has evolved with the American society.
The 2021 edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin with preliminary round action on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla., and College Station, Texas. The championships final site and culmination of the celebration is slated for June 9-12, 2021 at the newly rebuilt Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Texas’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory
Destinee Hooker won three career high jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a massive victory in 2009 by more than two inches.
De Grasse Sprinted To Otherworldly Double
Andre De Grasse completed the 100-200 double at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with scorching times: 9.75 (+2.7) in the 100; 19.58 (+2.4) in the 200.
Merritt Broke Long-Standing 110H MR In 2006
Aries Merritt broke a 28-year-old meet record in the 110H when he won the crown at the 2006 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 13.21.
UGA’s Torrence Made NCAA History With Double
Gwen Torrence completed the 100-200 double at the 1987 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Torrence was also the first woman to finish top-8 four times in the 100.
Bayer Gave It His All For NCAA 1500 Title
Andrew Bayer won the 1500 at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in one of the closest finishes in meet history – 0.01 seconds.
Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT
Les Tipton led the first podium sweep of any event in the history of the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Tipton and his Oregon teammates went 1-2-3 in the 1964 javelin.
K-State’s Jones Captured Heptathlon Crown In 2015
Akela Jones won the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with 6371 points. That is the fourth-best score in both collegiate history & meet history.
Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs
The LSU foursome of Bennie Brazell, Pete Coley, Robert Parham, Kelly Willie swept the 4×100 & 4×400 crowns at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Martin Won Distance Titles For Two Programs
Francis (Frank) Martin made history twice in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
FSU’s Williams Soared To Jumps Double In 2009
Kim Williams swept the horizontal jumps at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Williams was particularly dominant in the TJ, winning at 14.38m (47-2¼) & by nearly 2 feet.