ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1497, 20 July 1912, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

[Bx "Meeotot."]

ENGLAND-WHERE IS SHE NOW?

August 10.-New Zealand Cross-Country Championship, Wellington. August 24-Wellington Provincial Crosscountry Championship (Pahnerston Jiorth).

The Bad News about the English. News from Olympia hue been of the most unsatisfactory nature, and the table of points gathered i'n by the various nations is but little satisfaction in the absence of complete details aa to how they were gained. \Vo have learned that as usual tho Americans have shown marked superiority in tho shorter track events; thnt Hamus Kolehmainen is beyond doubt the greatst runner in the world from threo to ten miles; that our own representatives are far from being world's champion?, that the Marathon madness has, by tho death of a competitor, received a blow that may possibly bring the Olympic authorities to an understanding of what id and what is not a true athletic co'ntest. Of that more anon.

Lastly—and most important of all—is tlio clear indication given that the day of British supremacy in the athletic world proper is all but past. British eucoetses seem to haw b«!n few, and in one event at least somewhat in the nature of a surprise. A. N. S. Jackson, who won the 1500 metres, is the Oxford man who won ths mile at the last Oxford-Cambridge meet ing, and, even in England, he was not looked upon as at all likely to upset tho Americans or to beat the best representatives in England,

Invincible America in the Sprints. The Americans have conquered in <3ic eprinte, R. C. Craig upholding his lost year's form by annexing tho 100 metres, and J. C. Reedpath further proving his wonderful form.as a quartor-miler. Sleredith, winner of the 800 metres, ie ono oi the youthful wonders that aro unearthed repeatedly in the American Olympic trials.

Swedes, Finns, etc.—Anything but England. Undoubtedly the Continental successes have been the most important features of the gathering, and they aro a splendid tribute to the American system of thoroughness in training and organisation which has permeated Continental strongholds of late years. Hans Braum, the. German, beat all but K«?.dnath in the 400 metres. Hannes Kolehmainon, of ).>v his successes in distances from 3000 to 10,000 metres—both on the track and across country—stands in the proud position of being tho best distance runner siuco the days when Alfred Shrubb >yas at the eumrnit of his record-breaking form. If there is o&o branch of athletics at which the Englishman has hitherto been almost invincible, it is cross-country running, but to-day we find tho thrco first places in tho Olympic cross-coutitvy event filled by a Finn and tiro Swedes, and the teams' race (held in connection with it) von- by Sweden, with. Finland second, and Britain only third.

Why do Olympic Marathons Furnish . Tragedies. Being the most important event on the programme, wo received fairly satisfactory details concerning the Marathon, and the result—though not altogether of a surprisinjj nature—went to show how difficult it is to pick tho winner of this race at the Olympio Games. Even so shrewd ,judgo as "Prodigal," of the Sydney "Iteferee," was astray in, hie estimates, which was that Jahn Kolehmainon would probably be tho winner, Gitsliam and Hefforon .(South Africans), Corkery (Canada), and Ryan (America) wore all tuoro fancied thsii the ■winner, but with the exception of Gitsham they all failed tc stay. The fact that tho weather was f=o luot would play right into the hands of uhe South Africans. .As usual, the race proved a trying one, which'leads to the question, Why ls.th'e Olympic Marathon so much more trying than oth6r road evente held over'the eaoio fiistancoP Here in New Zealand tc havo hod our Marathons over tlie full distance, and tho men, without exception, havo come through the ordeal satisfactorily. In Australia they have had the samo experience. English, South African, Canadian, American, and Continental Marathons havo eeldom, if over, been reductive of any great distress on the part of competitors, and yet, nt every Olympic gathering, tho Marathon has been moro or less of a tragedy, despite the fact that the times recorded by the winners havo (with the exception of tho latest race) been moderate indeed. Tho piok of the world's Marathon runners compete in it, and, taking an average right through, it is these champions that fail. Throe reasons suggest themselves. First, the importance of the occasion which must in iteself have &ome depressing influence; second, t.he difficult nature of the country chosen (though this does not apply to the 1908 Olympic Marathon) ; and, tlirtl, the cut-throat tactics pursued in tho early stages of the race. This undoubtedly caused the trouble in 1908, the first few miles being carved out in time that would tax most competitors in shorter faces. Then again the fact that the taco is held in the middle of sumnur may rnve something to do with the di j "<es of competitors, and, lastly, tho fact that it usually comes on top of numerovis trinls over the full distance may pmhaps .be tho cause of more tr.iuiile than, anything else.

Will the Death of a Competitor Lead to Change?

The death of a competitor may mean, that the event will be abandoned as far as Olympic meetings are concerned, or it may not. A good deal will no doubt dopend upon whether a satisfactory medical examination of the runners was t niodo before the sfcai-t. In any case this incident will undoubtedly strengthen the feeling agninst tho race which has been steadily growing of late. One would not, however, go to the length that some reformers go when they advocate ten mile 3 across country and fifteen miles on the track as tho longest running distances that governing bodies should sanction. Still, some limit certainly should be fixed. Some twenty-five or , thirty years ago, 50-mile races were fairly common, and wore attended with no fatal results, but they wero contested on tracks and not on the road. These races died a itatural death, and, for some years afterwards, amateur races at all events seldom extended beyond fifteen miles. Tho revival of the Olympic Games in 1890, with the introduction of the Marathon race, started tho modern craze for such 16ng distances. Maybe past history will be repeated, a.nd the event will die a natural death. It is to bo hoped eo. In the first place, the Marathon found a place on the Olympic programme from a mistaken notion that it was contested at tihe ancient Olympio Games. Eecent historical researches liaye shattered this idea, and further doubt is even boing cast on the ancient story which tells of the Greek eoldier who carried the news of a Grecian victory froni Marathon to Athens and then dropped dead, which legend gave the present raco its name.

Ugly Feature—Recriminations Between England and America,

The nastiest features 6f the games have been the acrimonious discussion over the judging and the seemingly perennial quarrel between the English and his Americans over tho ethics of the elaborate organisation and systematic, preparation gono through by tho Americans for the games. Mr. W. Beach Thoniae, an authority on athletics, takes up tho, cudgels on behalf of tho nations.who have takon tlio games seriously, and his criticisms of tho lack of discipline in tho British section have been eupported at Stockholm by outsiders. The British report—that tho excellence of tho other nations' representatives can only be attained by a system of semiprofessional ism<-is not supported , by VnCts, for semi, ot disguised, profession alism is nowhere more rampant than in England, as exposures from timo to time have proved. Tho fact of tho matter is that tho Englishman, for all his boasted sense of fair play, is just ns biul a losor a,s anyone else. In th? hour of victory ho is'becomingly modest; in his protestations of excuse for defeat he is blatant. We in New Zealand have had cur experience of that sido of his character.