Article by John Manenti
How many times has it been repeated as, in certain specialties of Athletics, for it was more difficult for American athletes to qualify for the Olympic Trials than to win the Gold Medal and the career of the protagonist of our current history is one of the clearest examples of this, moreover by venturing into a test such as that of the 400m floors, which saw the US representatives prevail in 19 editions of the Games, monopolizing the podium in 5 of them …
When activity resumed after the tragic events of the Second World War, however, it was the first batch of Jamaican champions to emerge, with the famous trio made up of Arthur Wint, George Rhoden and Herbert McKenley, capable of winning Gold and Silver both in 1948 in London and four years later in Helsinkicombining in the second case also the Gold of the 4×400 relay, so that the Americans have to settle for crumbs, or the bronze of Mal Whitfield and Ollie Matson on the two aforementioned occasions, in addition to the silver in the relay in the Finnish capital, while the he success of the 4×400 at the London Games is the result of an injury to Wint during the third fraction.
concluded “the Caribbean wave”, here the United States intends to return to the top of the lap specialty, starting with the recovery the world record thanks to Lou Jones who, on March 18, 1955 in Mexico City, improves Rhoden’s record of 45″8 dating back 5 years earliercovering the distance in 45″4, to then remove any doubts about the legitimacy of his leadership, lowering this limit to 45″2 on the occasion of the Trials held at the end of June 1956 in Los Angeles and which also see qualified for the Melbourne Games Jim Lea and Charles Jenskins who finish in 45″7 and 46″1 respectively ….
He also participates in this selection the not yet 23-year-old Michael Danny “Mike” Larrabee, as he was born December 2, 1933 in Hollywood, Californiawho had already stood out the previous year with a seasonal best time of 46″6 such as to earn him the tenth place in the “Top Ten” drawn up by the prestigious US magazine “Track & Field News”, but who at the Trials ends eighth and last in the Final with a time of 48”4 despite the fact that a week earlier, on the occasion of the AAU Championships, he had finished in fourth position in 46”9.
Graduated in Geology at the “University of South California”, Larrabee represents a unique example in the history of US Athletics as, in the vast majority of cases until the end of the 80s, the competitive activity was linked to the period of stay at the College, the exact opposite of what happens to the Californian sprinter, whose constancy in chasing a dream, despite the repeated injuries that haunt him, will finally be rewarded …
Forced, therefore, to watch the Australian Olympics as a spectator taking place in the anomalous period of late November 1956, Larrabee sees the unexpected defaillance of the fresh world record holder Jones – who concludes no better than fifth in an embarrassing 48″1 and good for the USA than to remedy both Jenkins who imposes himself in 46″7, combining the Gold of the 4×400 relay – to then live two good seasons in 1957 and 1959in which it improves its staff, first running in 46″2 at the end of May in Los Angeles and therefore dropping for the first time under the “barrier of 46” net” stopping the clocks on the time of 45”9 in early June 1958 in Compton.
These results allow Larrabee to climb the Classification of the World Ranking even placing itself in second place in 1957 and eighth in 1959as a generation of top lap specialists is being born in the United States, starting with Eddie Southern and continuing with Glenn and Otis Davis who, in order not to get bored, decide to divide the tasks, with the latter favoring the flat run and the former the m.400hs, an extremely apt choice given that at Rome 1960 Olympics both climb to the top step of the podium in their respective Finals, to then do so a second time as members of the 4×400m relay with annexed world record of 3’02”37 …
And Larrabee…?? After a season best time of 46″0 obtained at the end of June 1960 in Modesto, the recurrence of the Achilles tendon injury puts him in a position to give up the Trialsto then literally disappear from circulation dedicating himself to teaching as a Mathematics Professor at a Los Angeles high school, so as to be forgotten in a specialty where generational turnover is quite fast, as also evidenced by the trend of world record, which Otis Davis had set in the Final in Rome by going under 45”0 for the first time (albeit manual …), same time attributed to the German Carl Kaufmann (44″9 for both …) even if the electronic timing had detected a 0″01 cent (45″07 to 45″08) in favor of the American.
Absolute limit then equaled by Adolph Plummer on 25 May 1963 over the distance of 440yds, while the top of the Ranking in the two-year period 1962-’63 is held by Ulis Williamswinner of the AAU Championships in said seasons in both cases with the same time of 45″8, so that he is greeted with a certain skepticism the return to competitions by a Larrabee now close to the threshold of 30 years, so much so that he was even laughed at by his students when he was the first to inform them of his intention to resume training in view of the Tokyo 1964 Olympic appointment, only to change his mind as soon as they saw the times he was able to record in training on the school track and in the first local meetings…
Of course, it is one thing to excel in certain contexts and another to fight on an equal footing with the best at an international level and, in any case, the seasonal best time of 46”3 recorded in mid-May 1963 in Los Angeles is such as to lead the Californian sprinter to optimism in view of the “gauntlet” made up of the Trials still scheduled at the “Memorial Coliseum” of the City of Angels on September 12, 1964, after that Larrabee had won his only AAU title in late June with a time of 46.0 lining up the much more popular Ollan Cassell, Plummer and Williams.
Definitely an injection of confidence for what represents the last chance to be able to take part in the Games, but we believe in all sincerity that not even the 30-year-old from Hollywood could ever imagine that, driven by the desire not to miss this opportunity, when he passes a Cassell remained in command for the first 300 meters, the desire not to be reached leads him to cross the finish line equaling the world record in 44″9, with Williams second in 45″0 and Cassell still guaranteeing the Olympic passthird with his “Personal Best” in his career of 45”6 …
See you then in the Japanese capital, where the Olympic program provides for the m.400 heats and quarters on 17 October 1964, with semi-finals the day after and Final at 13:00 local time on Monday 19 October, match that holds no particular surprises until the semi-finals, highlighting the good condition of the representatives of Trinidad & Tobago, all three still in contention and with, then particular, the 23-year-old Wendell Mottley clocked in 45”8 the best time.
The two semi-finals see them excel in the first series the 25-year-old British and reigning European Champion Robbie Brightwell (who had come shoulder to Larrabee in the AAU Final …), that imposes himself in 45″7 ahead of Mottley and Williams who finish in 45″9 and 46″2 respectively, while in the second the 30-year-old Californian gets the third consecutive victory even if with a time of 46”0 net worse than his most accredited rivals, ahead of the Pole Andrzej Badenskiwith Cassell finishing fifth and eliminated …
Therefore a very open final, at the start of which Larrabee seems to have started with the handbrake on, so as to pass last in the middle of the race with Badenski and Mottley setting the pace, except to go back up to fifth position entering the straight and then, in a specialty not defined by chance ”lap of the death”, since the winner is not so much who accelerates more in the final bars as who slows down the least, here is the Californian making an effort collecting the last drops of energy going first to overtake the Pole and then Mottley just 10 meters from the finish line, passed with that minimum margin (45”1 to 45”2 – electronic 45”15 to 45”24) which makes all the difference in the world between the “Olympic glory” and the bitterest disappointment, with Badenski saving the bronze from Brightwell’s comeback (45”6 to 45”7).
Perhaps unable to believe his own eyes, Larrabee completes his “Dream Olympics” with the Gold Medal also in the 4×400 relay which sees him inserted in the second fraction with the Gold of the 200m Henry Carr in the fourtha triumph to which it also matches the world record of 3’00”7 touching the “net 3′ barrier” …
This time Larrabee can really say enough, thanking the “Gods of Olympus” who have had an eye towards his constancy and stubbornness, rewarding him with what is most coveted for an athlete …