CHAMPION SWIMMER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 6, 22 January 1937, Page 12

CHAMPION SWIMMER

Jack Medica in N.Z. AUCKLAND EXHIBITI0N Ten world 's records are held by the American and Olympic swimming champion, Jack Medica, of Beattie, who performed exhfibition swims at Auckland while the Aorangi, on whieh he was a passenger for Sydney, was in port. The records are for distances of from 200 metrea toi one mile, but Medica said that his best performances were registered over a quarter-mile. His time for this was 4m 40 7-10s; He has also swum 200 metres in 2m 7 l-5s, 4001 metres in 4m 39 7-10s, and one mile in 20m 54 4-5s. He was not a sprinter, but he mentioned that his fastest time for 100 yards was 54s. This is three-fifths of a second betterthan the Dominion record. Of Italian parentage, Medica is 22 years of age. He is 6ft. in height, and, when in training, weighs about 14 stone. He recently graduated Bachelor of Arts at the University of Washington, and is following a business career. His manager, Mr F. Cady, has been a coach for 32 years. He is an autliority on diving, and, apart from his duties as coach in swimming at the University of Southern California, he coached the Aineriean diving teams at the last three Olympic Games — at Amsterdam in 1928, Los Angeles in 1932, and Berlin last year. All the diving championshjps at these Games were won by Amerieans. After Medica 's exhibition swims he and Mr Cady liberally gave hints to Auckland competitors. Surrounded by enthusiasts, Mr Cady examined the styles of the swimmers, some of whom held Auckland and New Zealand championships, who eame forward one after another to hear his advice. 1 Medica 's style was very unorthodox ' for New Zealand. It was a model of easy movement, the most striking cliaracteristies being his perfeet relaxation, the eontinuity of aetion, the excellence of the body balance, and his knack of maintaining the position of the body without twisting it or dropping the shoulders in the slightest degree.

The Australian amateur golf champion, .Tim Ferrier, was involved in » motor accident in Sydney last week, but escaped unscathed. Miss Jennings to whom he is engaged to be marrierl was driving the car, which was involvein a collision with another. She, :>!• was not injured