Liberty Bell Classic
The Liberty Bell Classic was a 1980 track and field athletics event organized by The Athletics Congress as part of the 1980 Olympic boycott and held at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on July 16 and 17, 1980.[1] It was named after Philadelphia's Liberty Bell.
The U.S. Congress voted $10 million to fund "alternative Olympics" in several Olympic sports, to which athletes from boycotting countries would be invited.[1] Besides the Liberty Bell Classic, the U.S. Gymnastics Federation held an "International Invitational" in Hartford, Connecticut. Earlier in the year, the United States had considered holding other games in Côte d'Ivoire, Italy, Japan, West Germany or China.[2]
The IAAF prohibited any official track and field meets that would clash with the Olympic meet, and so the Liberty Bell began three days before the Moscow Games opened (ten days before the Olympic athletics events began).[1] The Liberty Bell came the day after the prestigious Bislett Games in Oslo and many eligible athletes declined to compete, including 17 of the 34 champions at the US Olympic Trials.[1] However, the winning performances in two events (men's 110 m hurdles and 400 m hurdles) were better than those in Moscow.
Participants
Athletes from 29 countries participated in the event, many of which had taken part in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, including:
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Medal summary
Athletics
Men's events
Women's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meters | Chandra Cheeseborough United States | 11.27 | Jeanette Bolden United States | 11.41 | Karen Hawkins United States | 11.43 |
| 200 meters | Angella Taylor Canada | 22.77 | Chandra Cheeseborough United States | 22.84 | Karen Hawkins United States | 23.41 |
| 400 meters | Gwen Gardner United States | 52.04 | Charmaine Crooks Canada | 52.33 | Roberta Belle United States | 52.34 |
| 800 meters | Yvonne Mondesire Canada | 2:02.34 | Robin Campbell United States | 2:02.53 | Ann Mackie-Morelli Canada | 2:02.63 |
| 1500 meters | Mary Decker United States | 4:00.87 | Julie Brown United States | 4:10.37 | Francie Larrieu United States | 4:10.39 |
| 100 meter hurdles | Stephanie Hightower United States | 13.08 | Benita Fitzgerald United States | 13.17 | Esther Rot Israel | 13.20 |
| 4 × 100 meter relay | United States (USA) | 44.57 |  West Germany (FRG) | 45.26 |  Thailand (THA) | 46.90 |
| 4 × 400 meter relay | United States (USA) | 3:32.69 | Canada (CAN) | 3:33.50 | ||
| High jump | Zheng Dazhen China | 1.92 m | Brigitte Reid Canada | 1.84 m | Paula Girven United States | 1.80 m |
| Long jump | Kathy McMillan United States | 6.65 m | Carol Lewis United States | 6.60 m | Shonel Ferguson Bahamas | 6.48 m |
| Shot put | Shen Lijuan China | 17.09 m | Ann Turbyne United States | 16.24 m | Lu Cheng China | 15.98 m |
| Discus throw | Xie Jianhua China | 56.56 m | Lucette Moreau Canada | 55.20 m | Lorna Griffin United States | 53.52 m |
| Javelin throw | Laurie Kern Canada | 57.42 m | Tang Guoli China | 55.30 m | Li Baolian China | 54.94 m |
| Pentathlon | Diane Konihowski Canada | 4640 | Marlene Harmon United States | 4346 | Linda Waltman United States | 4314 |
See also
- 1980 Summer Olympics boycott
- 1980 in athletics (track and field)
- 1980 World Championships in Athletics
- Athletics at the Friendship Games, 1984 events in Moscow and Prague as part of the 1984 Summer Olympics boycott
- Politics and sports
References
Sources
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 Marshall, Joe (28 July 1980). "...and meanwhile in Philadelphia". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ↑ Secret US plot to steal Moscow's Olympic flame, Daily Telegraph
- ↑ "Thunder is heard from U.S.". Asbury Park Press. July 18, 1980. Retrieved January 8, 2017.