Died: Otto Bartsch, 81
On October 23. The 4th-placer in the ’72 Olympic 50K walk for the Soviet Union, the Kyrgyzstani had earlier finished 6th in the ’68 Olympic 20K and was 13th in ’76. World Ranked 6 times in the 50K, reaching No. 2 in ’73 & ’74. At 20K he Ranked once, at No. 6 in ’75.
Died: Charles Buchta, 83
On October 02. A star middle distance runner at Holy Cross, he won the ’64 AAU Indoor title at 600 yards.
Died: Edesel Garrison, 75
On September 20, in Los Angeles; of heart disease. A 2-sport star for USC, he ran second leg on the Trojan 4×1 teams that captured the ’71 and ’72 NCAA titles. He made NCAA All-America four times in the 400, with a runner-up finish in ’71. He World Ranked twice, with a No. 4 in ’71. As a prep (Centennial, Compton, California) led the national list in ’68 with a 46.4+ that made him =No. 6 of all-time.
Died: Elijah Lagat, 59
On September 29, in Eldoret, Kenya. A latecomer to running, at 34 he won the ’00 Boston Marathon by inches. He made the World Rankings twice; he was No. 7 in ’00.
Died: Munyoro Nyamau, 82
On October 07, in Nakuru, Kenya; of gall bladder cancer. A member of the Kenyan 4×4 that won Olympic gold in ’72, he also ran on the silver medal foursome at the ’68 Games. In ’70 he ran on the 4 x 880 relay that broke the World Record.
Died: Kęstutis Šapka, 76
On October 11, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The ’71 Euro high jump champion for the Soviet Union, he World Ranked 4 times, reaching No. 3 in ’71 and ’74. Was =12th in the ’72 Olympics.
Died: Rudolf Tomášek, 88
On September 24. The Czech vaulter won the European silver in ’62. A 3-time World Ranker, he was No. 5 in ’64. Twice an Olympian, he finished 8th in ’60 and 6th in ’64. ◻︎
