NURMI DEFEATED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 9 May 1925, Page 8

NURMI DEFEATED

ONCE IN FIVE YEARS BUT BREAKS TWO RECORDS Paavo Nurmi, the ‘(lying Finn,” suffered his first defeat since the Olympic contests in when, at the Brooklyn College games in the 13th Regiment Armoury, Brooklyn, N.Y., on January 24, lie allowed three of his countrymen, Oils Fnger, Umar Prim, and Gunner Nilsson, a- handicap of 100yds. That was just two yards too many for flu; wonder runner, Nilsson winning the race. Be that as it may, when Paavo crossed the tape lie had smashed two more* world's records, the 2000yds and the one and one-eighth mile, ami brought the total of the records he had created in a little more than two weeks of competition in America up to an even dozen. Nurmi was clocked at- the 2000yds tape at smin 0 4-ssec., wliidh. is 6 2-5 see better than the record o'i fimin 7 l-ssec established by Alfred Shrubb in England in 1903. Nurmi’s time at the one and one-eighth mile was 4min 58see. The evening was a. record-breaking one, for Willie Ritola, another Finn, had a little party of his own when he bettered three world’s marks, two of which wore set by Nurmi the previous week. Ritola won the 5000 metres handicap race by almost a full lap from Verne Booth, in 14 min 39 2-ssec, three seconds better than Nurmi made at the Finnish-Anieriean games; Ritoln’s time for tlie three miles was Minin 11 3-ssec, surpassing his own record by 4 l-ssec ; and the two and three-quarter mile record of 13min 3see made by Nurmi was also bettered by Ritola to the tune of 2see. s >

Great disappointment- was experienced among the crowd when Nurmi failed to win his race, but lie is human, and ,it was evident that the strain of toosevere training, of all too frequent, races and of travelling had begun to toil on him. Tfis defeat came as a shock, for in the final stretch of the race which Nilsson won Nurmi was but two- yards behind, and there wasn’t a one. in the crowd of 5000 persons who did not., believe that- he could win. He si named with everv ounce of effort, but lie failed.