We've finally arrived at #1! We continue our Ranking the Records countdown across all events using the IAAF Scoring Tables with the #1 performances. Today we reveal the greatest state track and field records across all events, both boys and girls, in Kansas history. Click here for a full explanation of how the rankings were determined.
Today, on what was supposed to be the first day of the state meet, we celebrate the past and the future of Kansas track and field. We hope that you've found some things to be inspired by, and that those things help motivate and sustain you until we can meet again on the track and in the field.
Every single Kansas high school track and field athlete who chooses to compete does so on the shoulders of giants.
Those giants came from farms, tiny towns and sprawling metropolises. They came from every race and sex. They came in a plethora of shapes and sizes and religions. They went on to compete all over the globe. They wore the red, white, and blue of their U.S. national team uniform. They stood on the podiums in the Olympics and World Championships. They carved their names forever in the American and World record books. They ran, jumped and threw their way into history and set a standard of excellence that lifts us all. And they all started right here, in the same stadiums, on the same tracks, in same pits, on the same aprons, and in the same rings.
Today, we climb the final rung of the ladder. Like yesterday, today is a study in stark contrasts, and again both performers are opposites in many ways.
One is from an era and by a performer that, by any measure, is a performance that "shouldn't" have happened. Yet, it did. Despite it sitting atop all of the other records, circumstances during the time that it was produced still leave us wondering "what might have been." It not only stood the test of time, but it became more unbelievable with time. It's become a standard of measure that even future Olympians were unable to surpass, or even seriously approach. It's by a performer who put down roots here, drawing almost no attention to the achievements of the past. There are few pictures, and no known video.
The other is more contemporary, and leaves us wondering "what will be." The performer was here only a short time before moving on, but drew a lot of well-earned attention during that brief stay. There isn't as much information to cover because their career is still unfolding before us, but unlike the other #1, there's plenty of pictures and videos.
But you know what? We decided that we're not quite done. In the process of researching and writing this series, we realized it's equally amazing who didn't make this list. So tomorrow, we're going to tell you briefly about a few of those who didn't make this list.
So, read on and learn about the #1 records in Kansas track and field history.