Myton honoured In San Jose

Olympian Neville Myton was honoured by the San Jose State University last month as the institution inducted their 1969 NCAA champion track and field team into its Hall of Fame.

Held in San Jose, the induction event reunited the members of the university's only NCAA track and field champion team. Myton's 1969 team-mates include Olympic 400 metres champion Lee Evans and Olympic 200 metres bronze medal winner John Carlos.

Carlos was the star of the successful 1969 championship run. A year after losing the Olympic 200m to his San Jose State colleague, Tommie Smith, and Australian Peter Norman, Carlos won both the 100 and 220 yard dashes. He returned to run the final leg of San Jose's first-place sprint relay team.

Evans, who had set a world record 43.86 seconds to win the 1968 Olympics, lost to Curtis Mills of Texas A&M University in the 440 yards final.

Myton had a fine career at San Jose State. The former Excelsior High School and Rio Mesa Junior College star continued to distinguish himself in the 800m and 1,500m and the 4x400m. After becoming a schoolboy Olympian at Excelsior in 1964, Myton won the 800m gold medal at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, helped Jamaica to a 4x400m bronze in the 1967 Pan-Am Games, and ran at the 1968 Olympics.

Among those attending the induction event was Una Morris-Chong, Myton's Jamaican teammate to the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.