SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 16 March 1912, Page 12

SWIMMING.

[Bi "Octopus."] The great event of the last week was the mile race, promoted by the Swifts Club at Tβ Aro Baths last Saturday. They had everything, .except ono (of which more later), in their favour. The handicapping was unusually good for this class of eveut, far superior to what wo have had lately in long-distance events. Tne race itself was very interesting, because of the large tielus engaged, and, ns the punters say, "tiicy all iiaU a chance." Tno wnler at the present time is just about as cold as anyone could desire. As a matter of fact, the Lyall Jiay Club hns Iwd to abandon its carnival on that occount. Uy tho time the 1000 yds. mark was reached several of thq competitors had left tin 'vater, narrowing tho issuo considerably Alorpeth, as usual, swam iu his steady style, and looked all over a winner a couple of hundred yards from homo. However, M'Lcau overtook him, and succeeded in winning by about eight yards. Jlnrrell, too finished like a steamengine, and got in ahead of Morpeth for second place. Hβ is not a pretty swimmer, no "poetry ot motion" about his style, but lie is a stayer, and is as strong at tho end as at the beginning, luurrc.i, C'rotvther, and managed to (jet inside the half-hour, aud secured club badges. Local competitors at tho Xew Zealand Championships will no doubt bo interested in the recent discussion about tho value of this niuilals .iivank'd. 'i'lio rule states that Hie met'als are to be loct. gold and 12uwt., worth A' 3 35., but this year's medals were not up to this standard. Wilson has done 62 4-ssec. Perhaps Champion cau beat AVilson over any distance, yet he has never got inside Kisec. It was at the Christehurch Club carnival last Saturday. The Sydney Ladies' Swimming Club purposes making a strong move in the direction of endeavouring to have Miss Hina \Vylie sent to Stockholm as one of Australia's representatives at the forthcoming Olympian Games. Alisa AVylie is second only, aud bv no means a bad second at thr.t, to Miss Fanny Durack in spsed swimming, but she stands out from all cojitcinporary Australian ladies us an exponent of other departments of natation very much more useful for purposes of savins life\ from drowning, towards j which the teaching of tho art i?, or I should be, especially directed. Jliss AVylie has no equal among her sex as n trfelc swimmer and diver. The progress of woman as a speed swimmer is interesting (comments the Sydney "Kcferc-e")- "My!" gasped a wondering universe when Sydney's Annette Kcllerinan "did" tho "hundred" in 1,22 ten years ago. Two years later Brisbane's Mi's F. Can , streaked over the bij; sprint dash fast enough to hit the "clock" nt 1.19 2-5. Two years further on Sydney's Miss Dorothy Hill's name stood side by side in the book with Miss Can , '*. Mcniiwhilo tho bp.-t elsewhere was 1.24 3-5 bv Misses Scott ami Ciinven (Enp.) IPO7 ?nw Miss Jennie I'lctvlior (Kng.) chip in'with a coiiplc of swims hotter than aiiythiiiß so far. In two big ellorto she credited herself with I.IS and 1.19. Then, in Wns, 7?iiss Jessie Fletcher, at Manchester, made the century of yards in 1.13 3-5 seconds; and the following year witnessed Miss I. Steer, a countrywoman of Miss Fletcher's, as a well-accredited claimant for an equal share of (he world's record. Jvcst Mis , ; Cnrwcn, hnvinc mnlu rod a fow years, broko this with an achievomont of 1.12 W.