SWIMMING

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1929, Page 5

SWIMMING

Who is the world’s best swimmer? Arne Borg is undoubtedly the outstanding free style performer, but American partisans are claiming that Walter Spence, all-round champion of America, who excels at free style, breaststroke and (backstroke sn\iinininrr. is a better man.

Others fiwour another American. Waiter Laufer, who recently won the American lODvds championship in 51 4-ss, the 220yds in 2.12 4-5, covered 150yds in 80 8-ss, holds the 200metres world’s backstroke lecoid, and swam second to George Kojac, the Olympic backstroke champion and world’s record-holder, in the national 150yds backstroke championship in 1.39 4-5, Ivojac’s time was 1.39, and both swimmers broke the world’s record. The third candidate is Albert Zorjlla, Argentine’s 400-metres Olympic champion and record-holder, who is better than either Spence or Laufor at free style, and has so markedly improved at backstroke as to become a serious rival to Kojac. At Santiago recently in a 50-metre bath /orilia won four Chilian championships at the same gala, taking the 100 metres. 400 metres, and 1500 metres titles in 60s, 5.3, and 20.8 respectively, and the 200 metres backstroke in 2.39 1-5. Still later at Buenos Ayres, Zorilla covered 100 metres and 200 metres backstroke in 70s and 2.35 respectively. The former performance was 1.4-os outside Kojac’s world’s record, and the latter eclipsed Walter Lhnfer’s recently gazetted world’s record by 8 4-os.