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Due to the high altitude in Mexico-City, sprinters and jumpers made long-lasting records
Long-Lasting Mexico City Track and Field World Records
Event |
1968 World Record |
Length of Record |
Record Broken By |
4 x 400 m |
Team USA 2:56.16 |
24 years |
1992 Team USA 2:55.74 |
Long Jump |
Bob Beamon 8.90m |
23 years |
1991 Mike Powell 8.95m |
400 m |
Lee Evans 43.86sec |
19 years |
1987 Butch Reynolds 43.29sec |
100 m |
Jim Hines 9.95sec |
15 years |
1983 Calvin Smith 9.93sec |
200 m |
Tommy Smith 19.83sec |
11 years |
1979 Pietro Menea 19.72sec |
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Due to Mexico CityÕs high altitude long distance runners were desperate for oxygen. All winners came from the high altitudes countries in Africa.
1968 Long-Distance Winners
Event |
Athlete |
Time |
Slower Than World Record By: |
3,000 m steeplechase |
Amos Biwott (Kenya) |
8:51.0 |
27 seconds |
5,000 m |
Mohammed Gammoudi (Tunisia) |
14:05.0 |
50 seconds |
10,000 m |
Naftali Tempu (Kenya) |
29:27.4 |
1:48 minutes |
Marathon |
Mamo Wolde (Ethiopia) |
2:20:11.2 |
10:50 minutes |
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Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo became the first women to light the Olympic flame at the Summer Olympic Games.
Women's Olympic "Firsts"
Lighting of the Olympic Flame |
Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo (Mexico) |
1968 |
Gold Medal |
Charlotte Cooper (Great Britain) |
1900 |
Swimming Gold Medal |
Fanny Durack (Australia) |
1912 |
Track and Field Gold Medal |
Halina Konopacka (Poland), discus |
1928 |
Giving the Olympic Oath |
Heidi Schuller (West Germany) |
1972 |
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