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LET’S SALUTE QUENTIN WHEELER.
HIS FRANKLIN FIELD 400 HURDLES RECORD
ENDURED FOR 49 YEARS.
By ELLIOTT DENMAN
It solely took 49 years.
If a measure of any efficiency on the file lists – international, nationwide, native, facility – is its longevity, then Quentin Wheeler’s 48.55 clocking for the 400-meter hurdles at Philadelphia’s storied Franklin Area again in 1976 charges proper up there wth the perfect.
Bear in mind Quentin Wheeler?
Not too many ardent monitor and subject followers do, however I absolutely do.
He’s (as I nonetheless envision him) that long-legged lad from two cities over from me (Tinton Falls. NJ), out of Monmouth Regional Excessive Faculty, a star pupil of Coach Ed Scullion, proper right here in Monmouth County – you recognize, on the Jersey Shore – who seemingly was able to climb absolutely the heights of his sport.
He virtually received there.
The 48.55 got here on the NCAA Championships of 1976, a 12 months that noticed so many different main occasions staged in Philadelphia’s Bicentennial celebration. Out of Monmouth Regional, he’d snared a scholarship to San Diego State College, heading to America’s southern-most West together with 800-meter highschool teammate Odie Huffman.
In these 48.55 seconds, with the Olympics looming that summer season in Montreal – closest they’d ever be held to Tinton Falls – all the pieces gave the impression to be doable An eight-hour drive up the NY Thruway to five-ringed gold, even with the younger Edwin Moses rising on the worldwide scene with an analogous goal, appeared a particular risk. (And Uganda’s 1972 Olympic champion John Akii-Bua boycotted out of the image.)
Observe analysts that spring of 1976 had been now score New Jersey’s Wheeler not less than an equal candidate for the highest of the Montreal podium with Dayton,Ohio’s/Morehouse School of Atlanta’s Moses. With one other terrific candidate rising in Mike Shine, the Penn Stater and member of the NY Pioneer Membership.
Properly, these 1976 Olympic Trials confirmed how shut this rivalry might be. Moses gained it within the American-record time of 48.30. Wheeler was a decent second in 48.65. With Shine third in 49.33, Staff USA had the sturdy potential of a 1-2-3 Montreal sweep. Moses had edged Wheeler in a semifinal, 49.02 to 49.29.
The monitor and subject world, in fact, is aware of that Moses went on to Montreal gold within the world-record time of 47.63 – thus launching an unimaginable, astounding 122-race profitable streak that ran by 9 years, 9 months and 9 days. After the boycott 12 months of 1980, he’d earned one other Olympic gold at L.A. in 1984, and snared a bronze at Seoul in 1988.
However Quentin Wheeler’s world-class profession was outlined by too-many coulda-woulda-shouldas. His early stride-pattern within the Montreal closing was askew. He struggled and lagged over three and 4 obstacles. By halfway, although, he received it collectively and was approaching – nicely, just like the proverbial gangbusters. Alas, he was a tad too late for the rostrum. Moses (47.63), Shine (48.29) and Soviet star Yevygeny Gavrilenko (49.45) had been up there 1-2-3.
Wheeler ran a just-miss, just-too-late fourth in 49.88, not near his Franklin Area type.
He’d proceed operating the worldwide circuit however his career-best of 48.39 in 1979 represented only a meager enchancment on that 48.55 in Franklin Area.
Wheeler’s story is simply one other of this sport’s nice maybes. He had what it took. He simply missed.
If all had gone completely, might he have crushed Moses at Montreal? Might he have lowered his profession PR into the 47’s? Might he, like Moses, have been a forever-icon of monitor and subject, too ?
We’ll by no means know. Reportedly, Wheeler has lived a lot of his latter years in Switzerland, constructing a brand new life.
However , for 49 years, he not less than had that Franklin Area 48.55 file as a remembrance of how very good an athlete he’d been.
Now, even that’s gone.
In a single smashing Saturday – at Franklin Area, day considered one of Grand Slam Observe’s go to to Philadelphia, thirty first day of Could 2025, his was considered one of 11 all-time Franklin Area best-evers erased by Michael Johnson’s superbly-rewarded gathering of worldwide all-stars.
Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos crossed the Grand Slam end line in 48.11. American Trevor Bassitt was proper behind in 48.25.
Few-few-few data of any description endure for 49 years. Wherever he might be discovered as of late, Quentin Wheeler can inform you it had been a very-very good run. Win some, lose some. Life strikes on.
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