USA (AAU)

The U.S. Championships were held in early July at the University of Denver’s field. The high altitude of Mile High City and severe gusts of wind somewhat impacted performances, especially in middle and long-distance events. For example, the mile winner Leo Lermond had to collapse onto the grass after completing his leg in the 4x880-yard relay. The auto dealership employee from Maine groaned, saying his insides felt like they were on fire.

Simpson Skips the 100-Yard Dash – Tolan Takes the Win

Reginald Bowen claimed his second major victory in the 440-yard dash. Having already clinched the IC4A championship a month earlier, Bowen led from start to finish, clocking one of the best times of the meet at 48.1, equivalent to 47.8 for the 400 meters.

The anticipated showdown between George Simpson, who had run 9.4 seconds for 100 yards at the NCAA Championships, and Olympian Frank Wykoff fizzled out. Simpson announced the day before the meet that he would withdraw due to injuries. Wykoff also struggled; a poor start ruined his race, leaving him in fourth place. The victory went to Eddie Tolan, who had finished second to Simpson at the NCAA meet. Neither a stiff headwind nor a broken big toenail slowed down the Michigan speedster, who also won the 220-yard dash.

Canadian Edwards Dominates the 880-Yard Race

Another IC4A champion, Phil Edwards of Canada, won the tactical 880-yard race in commanding style. The middle-distance runner from the Hockey Nation ran only for the win, finishing in 1:55.5.

Leo Lermond claimed victory in the mile, although the high altitude affected his time, which dropped to 4:26 (16 seconds off the world record set by Paavo Nurmi). Lermond also toured Europe in July, competing against Jules Ladoumègue of France and Olympic champion Harri Larva of Finland.

Frederick Morgan Taylor, the 1924 Paris Olympic gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles, faced defeat in the flat sprint by rising star Gordon Allott. Competing nearly on his home field, Allott, a future U.S. senator in the 1960s, also won the juniors' hurdles race the day before.

Krenz’s Throwing Form Returns 

Yale University’s Frederic Sturdy cleared the bar at 4.19 (13-9) in the pole vault, tying his personal best to win the championship. Sturdy also traveled to Europe, where he shared jumping tips with Finland’s Martti Kymäläinen, who later credited these tips for his silver medal at the Finnish Championships.

Future Los Angeles Olympic champion Ed Gordon jumped a relatively modest 7.42 (24-4) in the long jump but still won the title. The competitors, judging by their results, failed to capitalize on the advantages of thin air, as they usually do. Olympic champion Ed Hamm, recovering from illness earlier in the season, managed only 7.18 (23-6¾) and took bronze.

In the shot put, Eric Krenz earned silver behind veteran Herman Brix. The 1928 Olympic champion and Kansas native John Kuck had lost his form and didn’t make it to the finals. 

After setting a world record in the discus in March, Eric Krenz began to rediscover his throwing form. He claimed the American title with a throw of 47.90 (157-7), defeating Paul Jessup and John Anderson, who had bested him at the NCAA Championships. Ed Moeller, who nearly set a world record earlier in the season, finished second.

The wind had little effect on the hammer throw. Veteran Jack Merchant swung the second-best mark of the season at 51.97 (170-11) to claim his second U.S. championship. Norwood Wright’s ball reached 50.72 (166-6), earning him the silver medal.

Doherty Scores U.S. Record in One-Day Decathlon

Kenneth Doherty of Detroit defended his 1928 decathlon title with a U.S. record of 7,784.68 points. The achievement is particularly impressive as the event was completed in a single day. Paavo Yrjölä’s world record might have remained untouched even with the usual recovery time allowed.