1991 World Masters Athletics Championships is the ninth in a series of World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships (called World Veterans Championships at the time) that took place in Turku, Finland from 18 to 28 July 1991.

The main venue was Paavo Nurmi Stadium.

Satellite tracks were located in nearby municipalities of Raisio and Kaarina.

This edition of masters athletics Championships had a minimum age limit of 35 years for women and 40 years for men.

The governing body of this series is World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA). WAVA was formed during meeting at the inaugural edition of this series at Toronto in 1975, then officially founded during the second edition in 1977, then renamed as World Masters Athletics (WMA) at the Brisbane Championships in 2001.

This Championships was organized by WAVA in coordination with a Local Organising Committee (LOC) headed by Sten-Olof Hansen.

In addition to a full range of track and field events,

non-stadia events included 10K Cross Country, 10K Race Walk (women), 20K Race Walk (men), and Marathon.

South Africa South Africa had been expelled by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in 1976 due to the apartheid policy of the South African government at that time.

The participation of South African athletes in WAVA competitions had been at odds with the IAAF, specifically due to the 1977 WAVA constitution which had stated that

As a compromise, South Africans often competed at these Championships under the flag of other nations before 1987.

During General Assembly at the 1987 Championships, WAVA delegates approved a motion to amend the WAVA constitution and exclude countries whose national federation is suspended by the IAAF.

Thus South African athletes were officially banned from these Championships, and would not be welcomed back until the 1993 edition in Miyazaki,

after the abolition of apartheid and the readmittance of South Africa into IAAF in 1992.

World Records Past Championships results are archived at WMA.

Additional archives are available from Museum of Masters Track & Field

as a pdf book,

in pdf newsletters from National Masters News,

and as a searchable pdf extracted from the September 1991 newsletter.

Several masters world records were set at this Championships. World records for 1991 are from the lists of World Records in the Museum of Masters Track & Field pdf book,

supplemented by another list of World Records in the September 1991 newsletter.

The winners from each of the age-group 100m races were invited to participate in a "Special WAVA Age-Graded 100",

where runners were given distance handicaps based on WAVA age-graded tables.

The winners were M55 Hugo Hartenstein () in 10.55 and W40 Geraldine Otto () in 11.22.

The blind sprinter Fritz Assmy, now in the M75 class and guided by his grandson,

set new WRs in the 100m and 200m sprints,

running in his assigned lane 8 to avoid getting in the way of other competitors.

He had been guided by his son-in-law in 1977, 1979 and 1981, and by his son in 1983 and 1985. This was his last WAVA Championships; he would not compete in 1993 and would pass away in 2000.

Women EventAthlete(s)NationalityPerformanceW55 100 MetersCorrie Roovers-van den BoschW50 400 MetersBrunhilde HoffmannW55 400 MetersCarolyn Sue CappettaW60 400 MetersAnn CooperW55 800 MetersEdeltraud PohlW55 1500 MetersEdeltraud PohlW75 1500 MetersJohanna LutherW80 1500 MetersAnne ClarkeW45 5000 MetersElaine StathamW50 5000 MetersIda HellwagnerW70 5000 MetersLenore MarvinW45 10000 MetersElaine StathamW60 10000 MetersMarion IrvineW75 10000 MetersJohanna LutherW35 2000 Meters SteeplechaseVictoria AdamsW45 2000 Meters SteeplechaseMargaret OrmanW55 2000 Meters SteeplechaseSally StrazdinsW60 2000 Meters SteeplechaseRuth CarrierW55 80 Meters HurdlesCorrie Roovers-van den BoschW75 80 Meters HurdlesRosaline SoleW55 300 Meters HurdlesCorrie Roovers-van den BoschW60 300 Meters HurdlesBetty VosburghW65 300 Meters HurdlesElse LaineW40 4 x 100 Meters RelayIngrid Meier, Geraldine Otto, Anita Bayha, Ellen HeesW45 4 x 100 Meters RelayKarin Koschnitzke, Gerida Seibert, Doris Gallep, Anne-Kathrin EriksenW55 4 x 100 Meters RelayEdith Heise, Gertrude Muller, Rosemarie Chevalley, Lilo RollfingW60 4 x 100 Meters RelayRosemarie Kveiskott, Christa Kreuzwieser, Ruth Hunkel, Christel FranzenW65 4 x 100 Meters RelayLiselotte Schule, Paula Schneiderhan, Johanna Gelbrich, Elizabeth HauleW70 4 x 100 Meters RelayDiane Friedman, Carol Peebles, Pearl Mehl, Marie StaffordW45 4 x 400 Meters RelayErika Sauer, Doris Gallep, Gerida Seibert, Karin KoschnitzkeW50 4 x 400 Meters RelayBrunhilde Hoffmann, Ingrid Holzknecht, Gisela Blank, Friderun Kümmerle-ValkW55 4 x 400 Meters RelayKathy McIntyre, Christel Miller, Lucy Ann Brobst, Betty VosburghW40 5K Race WalkViisha SedlakW50 5K Race WalkVeino HeikkilaW80 5K Race WalkMargit LindgrenW50 Long JumpChristiane SchmalbruchW70 Long JumpMary WixeyW35 Triple JumpArja JussilaW40 Triple JumpAnna WłodarczykW50 Triple JumpHelen Ray SearleW70 Triple JumpMary WixeyW80 Triple JumpRuth FrithW55 High JumpTaisija TchentchikW60 High JumpElsa EnarssonW80 High JumpMargareta Thesleff SarvanaW55 Shot PutSigrun KofinkW60 Shot PutMarianne HammW65 Shot PutTotti KasekampW70 Shot PutKaterine SmildzinaW85 Shot PutIrja SarnamaW50 Discus ThrowLjudmila HmelevskajaW75 Discus ThrowAnnchen ReileM40 Hammer throwInge FaldagerW50 Hammer throwHelen Ray SearleW55 Hammer throwAntonina IvanovaW70 Hammer throwIlse BellinW50 Javelin ThrowElvīra OzoliņaW60 Javelin ThrowJanina PaksyteW65 Javelin ThrowTotti KasekampW75 Javelin ThrowJohanna GelbrichJohanna Gelbrich was spelled Hanna Gelbrich in the resultsW85 Javelin ThrowIrja SarnamaW50 HeptathlonFriderun Kümmerle-ValkW55 HeptathlonCorrie Roovers-van den Bosch

Men EventAthlete(s)NationalityPerformanceM75 100 MetersFritz AssmyM95 100 MetersJoginder SinghM75 200 MetersFritz AssmyFritz Assmy had run a M75 200 Meters faster than this 29.07 a year earlier - 28.60 at the 1990 European Masters Athletics Championships in BudapestM90 200 MetersMurthy NarayanaM95 200 MetersJoginder SinghM60 400 MetersWilhelm SelzerM65 400 MetersJack GreenwoodM90 400 MetersMurthy NarayanaM70 800 MetersJames LytjenM95 800 MetersHerbert S. KirkM50 5000 MetersAntonio VillanuevaM70 5000 MetersWarren UtesWarren Utes achieved M70 5000m World Record of 18:43.61 in Heat 1M95 5000 MetersHerbert S. KirkM50 10000 MetersRon RobertsonM60 10000 MetersLuciano AcquaroneM70 10000 MetersWarren UtesM50 3000 Meters SteeplechaseRon RobertsonM70 80 Meters HurdlesHans GilliM75 80 Meters HurdlesHerbert MillerM50 100 Meters HurdlesCharley MillerM55 100 Meters HurdlesLars LindheM65 100 Meters HurdlesJack GreenwoodM65 300 Meters HurdlesJack GreenwoodM75 300 Meters HurdlesReino TaskinenM80 300 Meters HurdlesErkki HaapalainenM45 4 x 100 Meters RelayJosef Bolsinger, Walter Gossmann, Manfred Bellmann, Walter ToscherM55 4 x 100 Meters RelayJohn Darrell, Matthew Brown, Milton Newton, Hugo BartensteinM65 4 x 100 Meters RelayRobert Watanabe, Melvin Larsen, Jim Law, Jack GreenwoodM65 4 x 400 Meters RelayRudolph Valentine, Oscar Harris, Jim Law, Jack GreenwoodM75 4 x 100 Meters RelayPentti Vuorela, Yrjö Hupponen, Reino Taskinen, Ahti Pajunen M45 5K Race WalkEero HemanM55 5K Race WalkVladimir GolubnichiyM60 MarathonLuciano AcquaroneM70 Long JumpGudmund SkrivervikM95 Long JumpJoginder SinghM60 Triple JumpHermann StraussM65 Triple JumpMatti JärvinenM70 Triple JumpGudmund SkrivervikM45 High JumpMark GelnovM55 High JumpHorst MandlM80 Pole VaultAhti PajunenM50 Shot PutKlaus LiedtkeM80 Shot PutOsmo RenvallM95 Shot PutJoginder SinghM70 Discus ThrowKauko JouppilaM80 Discus ThrowOsmo RenvallM95 Discus ThrowJoginder SinghM65 Hammer throwPentti SaarikoskiM85 Javelin ThrowMasami OkazakiM95 Javelin ThrowJoginder Singh

References