Toruń, Poland — Group USATF capped off an unbelievable week of competitors with their most prosperous day of the Planet Masters Athletics Indoor Championships, racking up forty medals to take the group total to 151 and finish third all round behind host Poland and Germany.


Sue McDonald (Santa Barbara, California) highlighted a spectacular seventh day with her second age group planet record in the 1500. After once again, operating in the W55 division with her 60th birthday coming throughout competitors, McDonald’s time of five:08.88 was superior for bronze in the division, and a planet record in the W60 category. In the exact same race, 3-time Olympian Michelle Rohl (Mansfield, Pennsylvania) stunned the field as she dipped effectively beneath 5 minutes, winning gold 14 seconds ahead of Spain’s Antonia Alvarez Ruiz in four:53.07, breaking the current American record at the distance.


Gary Patton (Rock Rapids, Iowa) battled it out with Hans Smeets from the Netherlands, fighting for a title via the finish line. Patton was just shy, crossing in five:44.71 to Smeets’ five:44.20 to take residence silver and a M75 American record at 1500m.


Two far more golds had been collected in the 1500m in the M35 and M55 divisions. Mark Husted (Golden, Colorado) sped away from the pack to win gold in the M35 division in four:02:00 more than 3 four:05 performances. Charles Novak (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) was in a tight race against Margus Kirt of Estonia, in the end coming out on top rated in four:22.67 to Kirt’s four:23.15.


A championship record fell in the W65 half marathon as Christine Kennedy (Burlingame, California) raced to a season most effective time of 1:31:38. Teammate April Lund (Bismarck, North Dakota) was via the finish line in 1:17:54, winning gold in the W40 division. The two also contributed to group gold medals in the W40 and W65 half marathon.


A lone field occasion gold came in the W65 pole vault. Rita Hanscom (San Diego, California) cleared two.00m and two.10m on her initial try, in the end clearing two.20m on her third attempt to earn gold in her division.


Two far more American records fell as the very-anticipated relays wrapped up competitors. Group USATF’s W55 4×200 quartet of Roxanne Brockner, Andrea Collier, India Bridgette, and Colleen Barney ran a blazing 1:56.37 more than Germany’s two:00.94 and Ireland’s two:02.56. The W65 group of Susan Loyd, Rita Hanscom, Tracey Bernett, and Leandra Funk took silver behind Fantastic Britain and Northern Ireland in two:19.15 for yet another age group American record.


The W35 4×200 group of Sophia Downey, Christina Elder, Christy Borders, and Easter Grant ran 1:49.78 for gold more than the Czech Republic in 1:51.13. Emmanuelle McGowan, Rachel Guest, Lisa Edwards, and Inga McIntyre ran a blistering 1:48.40 to take the W40 gold more than Fantastic Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland in 1:49.94 and 1:50.65.


On the men’s side, the M40 4×200 of Antoine Echols, Durran Dunn, Brandon Biodrowski, and Sean Burnett ran 1:33.31 for gold ahead of host-nation Poland in 1:three.48.


3 age divisions – 55, 60, and 75 – collected mixed 4×200 relay golds to cap off the competitors. In the 55 division, Roxanne Brockner, Clinton Aurelie, Andrea Collier, and David Gibbon won by 3 seconds with their 1:47.15 more than Ireland’s 1:50.62. Robert Foster, Shemayne Williams, India Bridgette, and William Yelverton earned a decisive gold in the 60 division with a 1:53.30 more than Fantastic Britain and Northern Ireland’s two:00.62. Kathleen Fable, Charles Allie, Barbara O’Hensley, and Gary Patton sped to a two:53.00 finish for gold in the 75 division.
Final Medal Count
Total: 151

Gold: 56

Silver: 57

Bronze: 38