ATHLETICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1924, Page 1

ATHLETICS.

OLYMPIC GAMES. ItJSTRAUAN AND N.Z. CAnLE ASSOCIATION PARIS July 6. At Olympia Can* (Australia) rail second to Abrahams (Britain) in the hundred meters flat heat. A WORLD RECORD. PARIS. July G. At the Olympic Games Ritola (Finhind) won the ten thousand metres rare iu the world’s record time of JO minutes 23 1-5 seconds. Ritola heat AYide (Sweden) l>y 300 metres. Berg (Finland) was third. In the javelin throwing .7. Myra (Finland) won. his distance being G2.9G metres.

At poll* Argentina heat the United States by 0 to 5. Abrahams won his heal in the hundred metres in It) ft-5 .seconds, equalling the Olympic record. All th« other heats took 10.1-5 seconds. Porritl (New Zealand) ran mhch better than anyone anticipated. It is certain that new records will he established in the four hundred metres swim, as Charlton, Weismuller, Beaurcpaire and Borg are all’regularly heating the existing record.

Johnny Weismuller (U.S.A.) to-day comfortably registered in JlO sees, for the four hundred metres swim. It is predicted he will win under 1)05 seconds.

There were great crowds at the commencement of the athletic section at Olympiad. The chief interest was in th prelinimiry heats of the hundred metres. Carr (Australia) with his leg bandaged, finished behind Abrahams, who won easily in eleven seconds. A feature of the race was the brilliant form of tile Americans. All the four U.S.A. entrants, Murchison, J’addock Schultz and Bowman won their heats and semi-finals. I’orritt ran brilliantly and mav reach the final.

In the eight hundred metre heats, the Australians Boyd and Norman. Newman rail unplaced. In the second round of the hundred metres, Carr lost several raids at the stint. His leg was troublesome in the first half, but he finished brilliantly and overwhelmed all lull. Schultz. Carr is now confident, he will win in the semi-liual to-morrow.

The Britishers Siallard and Lowe, and the South African Oldfield won their eight hundred metre heats. There is a general belief among the athletes that it is a mistake to defer the sports until ihice in the afternoon, as several events have hail to he decided simultaneously. There were about thirty five thousand spectators, hut the Stadium holds seventy thousand, so there are many gaps. Ritolns lent is remarkable, as it was done mi it wet track, lie ran on for four hundred metres, thinking he had another lap to go. Boyd (the Australian) did not stall. So far Fin land lias scored thirty points. Sweden eleven, the United Slates six. and Britain tlnce. Weismuller’s four hundred metres trial in .’tit) seconds broke the Olympic record hv 2 4-5 seconds.