1979 World Masters Athletics Championships is the third in a series of World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships (called World Veterans Championships at the time) that took place in Hannover, Germany, from 27 July to 2 August 1979.
The main venue was Niedersachsenstadion (), which featured a new Olympic-style electronic scoreboard.
This stadium has since been rebuilt several times, most extensively in 2003/04. Cross Country was held at Sportpark Hannover () in Galgenberg.
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) of German Athletics Association () and K. Wilhelm Köster.
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.
Controversy In 1976, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) had expelled the Amateur Athletic Union of South Africa due to the apartheid policy of the South African government at that time,
though the WAVA constitution was written in 1977 to be independent of IAAF,
stating that
Citing the fact that South Africa had been excluded from the Summer Olympic Games since 1968, DLV meet organizers initially planned to ban South African athletes. After much discussion, a compromise was reached to allow athletes to compete under the flag of Rhodesia ().
World Records Past Championships results are archived at WMA.
Additional archives are available from Museum of Masters Track & Field
as a pdf book,
as a searchable pdf,
and in pdf newsletters from National Masters News.
Selected winners are archived at Athletics Weekly for women
and for men.
Rare photographs of the blind sprinter Fritz Assmy in competition were included in newspaper clippings from the Museum of Masters Track & Field pdf book, guided by his son-in-law Klaus Hinrichsen in lane 8.
Assmy won the M60 100m, 200m, and 400m sprints, anchored the German M60 4 x 100 relay team to gold in a Championships Record time of 50.32, and anchored the German M60 4 x 400 relay team to 4th place.
Several masters world records were set at this Championships. John Gilmour () broke 4 world records by himself.
World records for 1979 are from the list of new records in the Museum of Masters Track & Field searchable pdf unless otherwise noted.
Women EventAthlete(s)NationalityPerformanceW50 200 MetersMaeve KyleW45 80 Meters HurdlesColleen MillsW35 High JumpChristel VossW55 High JumpVlasta ChlumskáW35 Long JumpDorit BreulW50 Long JumpMaeve KyleW55 Long JumpIlse PleugerW65 Long JumpHelga MitschkeW35 PentathlonChristel Voss
Men EventAthlete(s)NationalityPerformanceM40 100 MetersKarl Heinz SchröderM45 100 MetersLloyd RiddickM70 100 MetersFrederick ReidFrederick Reid was listed under in the resultsM50 200 MetersClifford Mc PhersonM65 200 MetersYngve BrangeM70 200 MetersFrederick ReidM40 400 MetersBruno BianchiM50 400 MetersFrancis Peter HigginsM65 400 MetersYngve BrangeM60 800 MetersJohn GilmourM60 1500 MetersJohn GilmourM60 5000 MetersJohn GilmourM80 5000 MetersJosef GaliaM60 10000 MetersJohn GilmourM45 110 Meters HurdlesValbjörn ÞorlákssonM60 110 Meters HurdlesAlfred GuidetM65 110 Meters HurdlesGeorge BracelandM40 400 Meters HurdlesLeon HackerM65 400 Meters HurdlesGeorge BracelandM75 400 Meters HurdlesHerbert F AndersonM50 3000 Meters SteeplechaseArthur H G TaylorM55 3000 Meters SteeplechaseGalicia EligioM60 3000 Meters SteeplechaseOlle ElvlandM50 4 x 100 Meters RelayH Goelz, Gerhard Baas, H Schlegel, P MirkesM40 4 x 400 Meters RelayLeon Hacker, Grujic, D Burger, George MatheM70 4 x 400 Meters RelayHarold Chapson, Herbert F Anderson, Sydney Madden, Paul FairbanksM65 High JumpRichard O'RaffertyM70 High JumpJosef SahlmannM80 High JumpSven A FalkM65 Long JumpWilli RumigM70 Long JumpJosef SahlmannM50 Triple JumpCarlos Vera GuardiaM65 Hammer throwAarne MiettinenM75 Hammer throwAlex RenkM45 Javelin ThrowJen SmidingM40 Javelin ThrowUrs von WartburgM50 Javelin Throw Veikko JavanainenM65 Shot PutKonstanty MaksimczykM75 Shot PutErnst KorteM65 Discus ThrowKonstanty Maksimczyk M45 PentathlonValbjörn ThorlakssonM75 PentathlonHerbert F Anderson
References