The 50th anniversary edition of ISTAF anticipated the start of the World Championships in Rome eight days later. 40,000 fans were rewarded for attending with weather worthy of high summer on August 21, offering ideal conditions for track and field athletics. Among those making full use of the conditions was the new star of the 400, Harry “Butch” Reynolds, who ran a meeting record of 44.49 seconds as did West Germany’s Dieter Baumann who achieved his first international win in taking the 3,000m in 7:40.25. Baumann would go on to win the Olympic 5,000m title in Barcelona in 1992.
