London Athletics Meeting (1984-85)

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The London World Championships are coming: I'm looking forward to entering the Olympic Stadium. I've already seen high-level athletics in London as a boy: it was 1984 and 1985. Of course I did not go there on purpose, I was attending a summer course. The stadium was Crystal Palace, small and certainly not suitable for a great event like the World Championships (of which then only one edition was held). It was, however, the biggest athletics stadium in the British capital, as the 1948 Olympic track, in Wembley, had been turned into a greyhound.In 1984 I couldn't even enter the stadium, I couldn't find a ticket. However I managed to see the races on a terrace behind the training field. At that meeting, the most discussed protagonist was Zola Budd, a 1not yet 8-year-old South African who had been allowed to compete as a British. Outside the stadium there were demonstrations against her, by people thinking of fighting racism by blaming a 18-year-old girl for being born in South Africa. This was the world at the time: today among the most expected stars of the upcoming World Championships ther is Van Niekerk, then he could not have been there.On that occasion I saw for the first time a world record live, indeed two. The first was 5.90 in  pole vault, by Bubka: I was very impressed by his explosive power. Then there was one by Budd herself in 2000 meters: a modest time, above 5'40 ": even if th istance was rarely ran, I was surprised that the record was so high, since the 1500 meters' one was already 3 ' 55 ".In 1985, however, I saw the meeting regularly seated in the stands. It lasted two days, as it happened also in some recent editions. I remember that so many races were held on the first day, that I wondered what remained for the second. Some races were held on both days, including pole vault, with Bubka. Of the protagonists I remember him, Bykova in high jump and no one else.So I did not imagine that I would not return to London for 27 years. The occasion I returned is exactly what I will talk about next time.