June 30 Birthdays

1938

Billy Mills, United States, long-distance runner. Mills won the 1964 (Tokyo) Olympic Games 10,000m in an Olympic-record time of 28:24.4. He was the first American to ever win an Olympic gold medal in the 10,000m. He also ran the marathon at the 1964 Olympic Games, finishing 14th in 2:22:55.4. Mills' athletic career has been dramatized in the 1984 film Running Brave.

June 29 Birthdays

1958
Rosa Mota, Portuguese long-distance runner. Rosa Mota was the Olympic marathon champion at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, becoming the first Portuguese woman to medal at the Olympics.

June 28 Birthdays

1962
Anişoara Cuşmir-Stanciu, Romania, long jumper. Anişoara Cuşmir-Stanciu won the silver medal in the women's long jump at the 1983 (Helsinki) World Championships in athletics, finishing behind Heike Drechsler of the German Democratic Republic. During the same year Cuşmir set two world records in the women's long jump of 7.21m and 7.43m. In 1984 Cuşmir won the event at the (Los Angeles) Olympic Games, leaping 6.96m to capture the gold medal.

June 18 Birthdays

1918
Reinaldo Gorno, Argentine long-distance runner. Gorno was the silver medalist in the marathon at the inaugural Pan American Games in 1951, and the silver medalist in the 1952 (Helsinki) Olympic marathon.

June 17 Birthdays

1932

George Derek Ibbotson, Great Britain, middle-distance runner. Running for the United Kingdom, Derek Ibbotson won a bronze medal in the 5,000m at the 1956 (Melbourne) Olympic Games, running 13:54.4 behind Vladimir Kuts (13:39.6) and Gordon Pirie (13:50.6). In 1957 he set a world record of 3:57.2 for the one-mile run, breaking the previous record of 3:57.9 set by Australian John Landy in 1954. In 1958 Ibbotson became the first athlete to run exactly 4:00.0 for the mile, an athletic curiosity that people should really stop annoying their friends with. Ibbotson has published a memoir of his athletic career, The Four-Minute Smiler.

June 13 Birthdays

1936

Michael Jazy, France, middle-distance runner. Jazy won the silver medal in the 1,500m at the 19600 (Rome) Olympic Games, finishing behind the great Herb Elliott. Jazy set world records in the 3,000m (7:49.2) in 1962, in the one-mile run (3:53.6) in 1965, in the 3,000m (7:49.0) in 1965, and in the 2,000m (4:56.1) in 1966. He was European Champion at 1,500m in 1962 and at 5,000m in 1966.

1982

Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, distance runner. Bekele is one of the most dominant distance runners of the early twenty-first century. He reigned as World Cross Country Champion from 2002 to 2006 and also in 2008; additionally winning the now-discontinued "short course" title from 2002 to 2006. In Olympic competition he won a silver medal in the 5,000m (13:14.59) and a gold medal in the 10,000m (27:05.10) in 2004 (Athens), and a gold medal in both the 5,000m (12:57.82) and the 10,000m (27:01.17) in 2008 (Beijing). He was the world champion in the 10,000m in 2003 (Paris), 2005 (Helsinki), 2007 (Osaka) and 2009 (Berlin), and holds world records in the 5,000m (12:37.35) and 10,000m (26:17.53).

June 12 Birthdays

1932
Mamo Wolde, Ethiopia, distance runner. It's true that Wolde ran the 800m, 1,500m, and 4 x 400m relay for Ethiopia at the 1956 (Melbourne) Olympic games, but it is also true that the Ethiopian government was disappointed with the showing of the team that year and essentially de-funded athletics till 1960. Wolde did distinguish himself in the 1964 (Tokyo) Olympic games, finishing fourth in the 10,000m (28:31.8). In the 1968 (Mexico City) Olympic games, Wolde took the silver medal in the 10,000m (29:27.75), and then a week later won the Olympic marathon (2:20:26.4). Wolde came back four years later, at age 40, to place third in the 1972 (Munich) Olympic marathon, running 2:15:08.4 to win the bronze medal.

June 7 Birthdays

1888
Clarence DeMar, American long-distance runner. "Mr. DeMarathon" won seven Boston marathon titles, 1911, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1928, and 1930. DeMar was on the United States Olympic marathon team in 1912, 1924, and 1928, winning the bronze medal in the 1924 (Paris) Olympic marathon. His memoir, Marathon, is a classic of running literature.

June 4 Birthdays

1957
John Treacy, Ireland, distance runner. Treacy had his greatest international success in cross country, winning the World Cross Country Championships in 1978 (Glasgow) and 1979 (Limerick). He was also a four-time Olympian for Ireland from 1980 to 1992, most notably winning the silver medal in the Olympic marathon in the 1984 (Los Angeles) Olympics, running 2:09:56.

June 1 Birthdays

1955
Lorraine Moller, New Zealand, distance runner. Moller won a bronze medals in the 1,500m (4:12:67) and 3,000m (8:55:76) at the 1982 (Brisbane) Commonwealth Games, but it was already clear from her road-racing experiences in America that she was a strong marathon runner. She won her first eight marathons, including a win at the 1984 Boston Marathon (2:29:28). In 1986 she was the silver medalist in the (Edinburgh) Commonwealth Games, running 2:28:17. Her Olympic career was a long one, finishing fifth in 1984 (Los Angeles) in 2:28:34, 33rd in 1988 (Seoul) in 2:37:52, winning the bronze medal in 1992 (Barcelona) with a 2:33:59, and placing 46th in 1996 (Atlanta) with a 2:42:21.