Ed Burke (''Edward Andrew Burke;'' born March 4, 1940) is an American

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consist ...

er best known for carrying the flag of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

at the Olympics in Los Angeles 1984. He competed at the 1964, 1968 and 1984 Olympics and placed 7th, 12th and 18th, respectively. He set his personal best in 1984, aged 44. Burke came to the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

as a favorite, after setting the U.S. record of 235' 11" at the 1967 AAU Championships in Bakersfield, California (the same meet

Jim Ryun James Ronald Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former Republican politician and Olympic track and field athlete, who at his peak was widely considered the world's top middle-distance runner. He won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the ...

ran his long standing 3:51.1 mile record), then the number two performance in history. After being (unjustly) called for a foul on his first two throws, he was so disappointed in his results that he retired from the sport following the Olympics. In 1979, he watched the World Cup on television with his daughters who had never seen dad throw. He marveled at the relative small size of champion Sergei Litvinov (URS). Just shy of his 40th birthday, he decided to give the Hammer one more whirl. After training he made the United States team at the first IAAF World Championships, and achieved his lifetime best of 243' 11" in the process of qualifying for his third Olympics at age 44 (a feat his contemporary

Al Oerter Alfred Oerter Jr. (September 19, 1936 – October 1, 2007) was an American athlete and a four-time Olympic Champion in the discus throw. He was the first athlete to win a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympic Ga ...

also attempted and failed that year). He was the first American to achieve qualifying for Olympic teams 20 years apart (since equaled by Francie Larrieu-Smith, also from the San Jose area, in 1992). Being the oldest member of the team and a remarkable story, he was selected to carry the flag, which he did with one hand, in the hometown Olympic Opening Ceremonies by the team captains. Ed Burke attended college at

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

Promoting throwing

Following the Olympics, he again retired to tend the Los Gatos Athletic Club. He joined fellow Olympian, Discus Thrower

Mac Wilkins Mac Maurice Wilkins (born November 15, 1950) is an American athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Eugene, Oregon and graduated in 1969 from Beaverton High School in Beaverton, Oregon. College Distance running coach B ...

in forming Explorer Post 813 in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, dedicated to introducing boys and girls to the art of throwing. They constructed throwing cages next to Highway 85, enlisting the help of other world-class athletes training in the San Jose area. 30 graduates of their program have gone on to throw for

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I schools, two of them Dave Popejoy and Kevin McMahon made U.S. Olympic teams.

Masters

21 years after his second retirement, Burke returned to competition in the 65-year-old division. and promptly set the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for his age division. After turning 70 in 2010, he did it again in his new age division.Love them Lisas! Valle and Daley lead record assault in California
Masterstrack (July 2010)

Achievements

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Ed 1940 births American male hammer throwers Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Living people World record holders in masters athletics American masters athletes People from Ukiah, California Track and field athletes from San Jose, California San Jose State Spartans men's track and field athletes