Gene Venzke Explained

Birth Date:June 27, 1908
Birth Place:Leaf Valley Township, Minnesota, U.S.
Death Date:February 14, 1992 (aged 83)
Death Place:Exeter Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:188 cm
Weight:70 kg
Sport:Athletics
Event:800 m – mile
Pb:800 m – 1:52.5 (1935)
1500 m – 3:49.7 (1940)
Mile – 4:10.0 (1932)[1]
Club:New York Athletic Club
Show-Medals:yes

Eugene George "Gene" Venzke (June 27, 1908 – February 14, 1992) was an American middle-distance runner. Venzke qualified for the Olympic final at 1500 meters in 1936 and set indoor world records at both 1500 meters and the mile.

Career

Gene Venzke had a long career, placing in the top five at the national outdoor championships ten times between 1930 and 1940.[2] [3] His greatest successes, however, came indoors, as he was national champion in 1932, 1933 and 1936[2] [4] and also set a number of world records.

Venzke was in excellent shape during the 1932 indoor season.[5] On February 6 he broke the indoor mile world record of Paavo Nurmi and Joie Ray with a clocking of 4:11.2 at the Millrose Games in New York.[6] He improved to 4:10.0 eleven days later at the Baxter Mile, also in New York.[7] On February 27 he broke the 1500 m world record with a time of 3:53.4.[8] Despite his age he was still in high school at the time, having dropped out for several years.[8] [9]

On June 18 Venzke broke the American outdoor record at Cambridge, running 3:52.6.[10] He was considered extremely likely to make the Olympic team.[10] However, he had already lost his best shape,[5] having pulled a muscle in training,[9] and at the Olympic Trials he only placed 4th, missing out by one place;[10] he was still among the leaders with a hundred yards to go, but was passed in the final straight by Norwood Hallowell, Frank Crowley and finally Glenn Cunningham.[10]

At the 1933 indoor championships Venzke beat the Olympic fourth placer, Cunningham, in 3:55.4.[11] But again he failed to maintain his best shape into the summer; at the outdoor championships he was only third and Cunningham broke his American record.[3] [12]

Venzke's main rivals in 1934 and 1935 were Cunningham and Princeton University's Bill Bonthron.[13] At the 1934 NCAA championships Venzke, now a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, placed third behind these two.[14] At the national championships Venzke ran 1500 meters in 3:50.5; however, this was only good enough for third place as Bonthron broke the world record.[3] At the 1935 championships he took second behind Cunningham.[3]

Venzke regained his national indoor title in 1936, scoring a close win over Cunningham in a world record time of 3:49.9.[15] At the outdoor championships he was again beaten to third behind Cunningham and Emporia State's Archie San Romani; however, he defeated Bonthron, who was fourth.[3] At the Olympic Trials the following week the same men took the four top spots in the same order, with Venzke in third making the Olympic team ahead of Bonthron.[16] At the Olympics Venzke won his heat and placed 9th in the final.[2]

After the Olympics, he was part of a United States relay team (with Chuck Hornbostel, San Romani and Cunningham) that set a new world record of 17:17.2 in the 4 x Mile relay.[2] [17] He stayed in good shape for many more years,[18] running his personal mile best of 4:08.2 in 1940.[9] Originally from a poor family, Venzke made money as an investor[9] and opened a golf range in Reiffton, Pennsylvania after finally retiring from running.[9] [19]

Notes and References

  1. http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=6927&Gender=M Gene Venzke
  2. Web site: Gene Venzke Bio, Stats and Results . Sports Reference LLC . May 21, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130613014020/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ve/gene-venzke-1.html . June 13, 2013 .
  3. A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2011 . Mallon, Bill . Buchanan, Ian . Track & Field News . Track & Field News . May 21, 2013 . Track & Field News . https://web.archive.org/web/20160714092846/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/tafn-presults?list_id=36&sex_id=M&event_id=5 . July 14, 2016 . dead . mdy-all .
  4. Web site: USA Indoor Track & Field Champions . . May 21, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130429070830/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/USA-Champions/USAIndoorTF/men/1500m.aspx . April 29, 2013 . dead .
  5. Book: Huippu-urheilun historia . 1935 . . Jukola, Martti . fi.
  6. News: George Venzke Runs Fastest Mile in American History . . February 8, 1932 . May 21, 2013.
  7. News: World Marks in Mile, Shot Events Smashed . . February 18, 1932 . May 21, 2013 . Cameron, Stuart.
  8. News: Pottstown High School Phenom Clips Over Two Seconds Off Hahn's Indoor Mark . . February 28, 1932 . May 21, 2013.
  9. News: Gene Venzke Runs On Hard Work . January 15, 1984 . May 21, 2013 . Reading Eagle.
  10. The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field . PDF . Hymans, Richard . Track & Field News . May 21, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130524034523/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/1152 . May 24, 2013 . dead .
  11. News: Gene Venzke Wins National 1500-Meter Title . Reading Eagle . February 26, 1933 . May 21, 2013.
  12. Web site: Men, 1500 m . trackfield.brinkster.net . May 21, 2013.
  13. Web site: Athletics at the 1936 Berlin Summer Games: Men's 1,500 metres . Sports Reference LLC . 20 May 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130613041533/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1936/ATH/mens-1500-metres.html . 13 June 2013 .
  14. 1500m/MILE . . Hill, E. Garry . 19 May 2013 .
  15. News: Venzke Runs Away From Cunningham to Set Dazzling Mark for Indoor Metric Mile Race . February 24, 1936 . . May 21, 2013.
  16. The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field . PDF . Hymans, Richard . Track & Field News . May 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130524033232/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/1153 . May 24, 2013 . dead . mdy-all .
  17. News: New 4-Mile Mark . 15 August 1936 . 20 May 2013 . Lawrence Journal-World.
  18. News: Gene Venzke – 16 Years in Competition . January 9, 1941 . Reading Eagle . May 21, 2013 . Kobrin, Jerry.
  19. News: Gene Venzke Turns to Golf; To Open Own Driving Range . Kobrin, Jerry . May 7, 1946 . Reading Eagle . May 21, 2013.