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Mark Murro

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Marcus Paul "Mark" Murro (born June 4, 1949)[1] is an American former javelin thrower. Murro held the United States record in men's javelin throw from 1969 to 1982 and competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Career

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Murro broke the national high school record in men's javelin throw in 1967 while attending Essex Catholic High School in Newark, New Jersey, throwing 252 ft 8 in (77.01 m).[2] In June 1968 he placed third at the national championships;[3] three months later he won at the United States Olympic trials with a throw of 263 ft 9 in (80.39 m), defeating national champion Frank Covelli and qualifying for the Olympic Games in Mexico City.[4] Murro was the top American at the Olympics, throwing 80.08 m (262 ft 8+1⁄2 in) and placing ninth;[1][4] Track & Field News ranked him as the world's 10th best javelin thrower that year.[5] The magazine put him on the cover of its April 1969 issue.[6]

Murro continued improving in the next years, breaking Covelli's American record with a throw of 292 ft 8 in (89.21 m) in Tempe, Arizona on May 23, 1969.[7][8] Murro won both the NCAA championship (representing Arizona State) and the national championship that year,[3][9] with his national championship mark of 284 ft 3 in (86.64 m) breaking Al Cantello's meeting record from 1960.[3][10] He was ranked fourth in the world that year, behind Jānis Lūsis, Pauli Nevala and Jorma Kinnunen.[5]

Murro broke his own American record on March 27, 1970, again in Tempe;[7][11] with his throw of 300 ft 0 in (91.44 m) he became the first American to reach 300 feet, as well as the first to break 90 meters.[1] However, two months later at the Compton Invitational he slipped while throwing and sprained his ankle,[12] missing the NCAA meet and failing to qualify for the national championship final as a result.[9][13] While he continued competing, he never regained his pre-injury level;[14] in 1970 he ranked a career-best third in the world, behind Nevala and Manfred Stolle, but after that year he never featured in the world's top 10 again.[5] At the 1972 Olympic Trials Murro placed eighth and failed to qualify for the Olympic team.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Mark Murro Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "Prep Javelin Mark". The Arizona Republic. June 1, 1967. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c ">Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 16, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c "World Rankings – Men's Javelin" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved December 1, 2014.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Past Covers 1969". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  7. ^ a b "USA Records Progression: Men, Javelin Throw". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  8. ^ "ASU's Mark Murro Sails Javelin 292-8". The Arizona Republic. May 24, 1969. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved December 1, 2014.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Evans, Carlos Break AAU Records". Pacific Stars and Stripes. July 2, 1969. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  11. ^ "Murro reaches 300 foot mark". Scottsdale Progress. March 28, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  12. ^ "LaBenz Trounces Liquori In Mile". Oakland Tribune. June 7, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  13. ^ "UCLA Soph Posts Upset In AAU 440". European Stars and Stripes. June 29, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  14. ^ "Mark Murro". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  15. ^ Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
Records
Preceded by United States record holder in men's javelin throw
May 23, 1969 – Apr 17, 1982 		Succeeded by
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