USSR v USA

The seventh track and field dual meet between the Soviet Union and the USA was held in Kyiv. For the first time in the history of the giants' clash, the Soviet Union won the men's match with a score of 118–112.

The Americans always calculated the men's and women's meet scores separately, while the Soviets, who dominated the women's events, combined the scores of the different genders. This way, each team won the meet before 1965.

The seventh meet is considered the last great one. After that, the USA–Soviet Union clashes began to sour. In 1966, the Soviet Union harassed the Americans by pulling out of the Memorial Coliseum battle at the last minute, claiming to be protesting the Vietnam War. Tickets and program leaflets had already been printed. Today, they are easy to hunt down on online flea markets.

In the 1970s, the USA began to have difficulty putting together the best possible team. By touring European invitationals, an amateur athlete could earn significantly better money than by going to a dual meet and collecting the federation's official daily pennies.

The Soviets dominated the women's meet. Irina Press took victory in the 80m hurdles and her sister Tamara won the shot put and discus. Two-time Olympic champion Wyomia Tyus, from the rural Georgia, however, took first place in the 100, sprinting to a world record of 11.1 (with automatic timing 11.34). Tokyo 200 Olympic champion Edith McGuire won the half-lap.

NCAA runner-up, the sparsely-haired Darel Newman, sped to victory in the men's 100 with his electronic timing record of 10.26. The Fresno fellow's best achievement, however, was defeating Bob Hayes in indoors.

Fast Middle Distances

AAU Championships runner-up George Germann crushed Valeriy Bulishev and the Estonian Rein Tölp with a good time of 1.46,8 in the final stretch. Germann apparently considered the victory the toughest achievement of his career.

The European mile was fast. Jim Grelle, an Olympic eighth-place finisher coached by a Hungarian who had fled to the West, made a decisive move. He launched a kick with 250 meters to go and powered to victory with 3:39.2, securing an American one-two finish with junior star Jim Ryun.

The two best long jumpers in the world always met each other in the giants' clash of the 60s. This time, Ralph Boston dropped an 8.21 (26-11¼) and outjumped the good English-speaking university man Igor Ter-Ovanesyan (8.02/26-3¾).

The long-distance and throwing events became key to the Soviet Union's victory. The land of the hammer and sickle took a one-two finish in the 10,000 and the steeplechase. Pyotr Bolotnikov beat Olympic champion Bob Schul in a fierce sprint finish in the 5,000.

Tokyo Olympic champion Romuald Klim was the first Soviet to throw the wire ball over 70 meters. The scoreboard flashed the numbers 70.36 (230-10). The victory came easily, as the first 70-meter thrower, Hal Connolly, was absent due to injury.

The meet was televised live to America but not to the Soviet Union. According to the official explanation, soccer was considered more important in the land of the Soviets.  The ABC broadcast to the USA was called by Jim McKay and Jim Beatty.