April 26 Birthdays

1930

Roger Moens, Belgium, middle-distance runner. In 1955 Roger Moens set a world record of 1:45.7 in the 800m which was eventually broken in 1962 by Peter Snell. Moens won a silver medal at the 1960 (Rome) Olympic Games, finishing behind Snell in the 800m.

April 12 Birthdays

1930
John Landy, Australian middle-distance runner. Landy was the second man to break 4:00 in the mile and held the world record in the mile (3:58.0). He was a member of the Australian Olympic team in 1952 (Helsinki) and 1956 (Melbourne), winning a bronze medal in the 1500 in 1956. He finished second to Roger Bannister in the Empire Games mile in Vancouver on 7 August 1954, the first mile race in which two athletes broke 4:00 (Bannister 3:58.8, Landy 3:59.6).

December 24 Birthdays

1897
Frans Wilhelm Pörhölä, Finland, throws. If it was heavy, Ville Pörhölä threw it. He won the gold medal in the men's shot put (14.81m) 1920 (Antwerp) Olympic Games, where he also competed in the discus and the weight throw. After a hiatus from athletics, he returned to Olympic competition in 1932 (Los Angeles) in the men's hammer throw, where he won a silver medal with a toss of 52.27 behind Ireland's Pat O'Callaghan (53.92m). Pörhölä passed away on 28 November 1964.

1930
John Joseph Kelley, United States, long distance. After World War II, the Boston Marathon became a truly international race, so much so that after 1945 no American won the race until 1957 when John J. Kelley blazed to a course record win of 2:20:05 at the 62nd running of the race. Kelley went on to win a gold medal in the 1959 (Chicago) Pan American Games marathon. He also competed in the Olympics as part of the U.S. marathon team in 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome), and 1964 (Tokyo).

1940
William Frederick Crothers, Canada, middle distance. Bill Crothers won the silver medal in the men's 800m run at the 1964 (Tokyo) Olympic Games, running 1:45.6 behind the great Peter Snell, who won with an Olympic record time of 1:45.1. Crothers was the world record holder in the indoor 800m, and at one time held every Canadian record from 400m to 1500m.

1984
Wallace Spearmon, United States, sprints. Spearmon was a 200m specialist. In the men's 200m at the World Championships, Spearmon won a silver medal in 2005 (Helsinki), a bronze medal in 2007 (Osaka), and a bronze medal in 2009 (Berlin). He was less successful in Olympic competition, disqualified for running out of his lane in the 200m final in 2008 (Beijing).

September 21 Birthdays

1911
Juan Carlos Zabala, Argentine long-distance runner. Zabala was the Olympic marathon champion in 1932 (Los Angeles), running 2:33:19. Zabala also set world records at 30,000 meters and 20,000 meters.

1930
Sergei Popov, Soviet Union, long-distance runner. Popov, a three-time Soviet national champion in the marathon (1957, 1958, 1959), set a world record in the marathon of 2:15:17 at the 1958 European Championships in Stockholm. Yes, I know; it's supposed to be called a "world best" and not a "world record." Popov ran 2:19:18.8 to finish fifth in the 1960 (Rome) Olympic Games marathon, the race in which the great Abebe Bikila broke Popov's world record.