BLACK LIGHTNING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 342, 1 October 1932, Page 3

BLACK LIGHTNING

EBONY FROM GUN NEGRO SPRINTERS REVEAL MARYELLOUS BURST OF SPEED. TOLAN AND METCALFE. Los Angeles, Sept. 12. The oue pieture that will remain ftxed in jnemory long after these Olympic 'Games are over is the flash of two streaks of black lightning thrown against a cloudless summer sky, writes Grantland Rice. Two black bolts from the azure of a Califorian day. This was the pieture of Eddie Tolan, of Michigan, and Ralph Metcalfe, of Marquette, two coloured flyers from the Mid-West, who settled beyond all doubt the sprinting supremacy of the world in one of the closest finishes ever known.

It was ebony shot from the starting gun that told the story of the greatest 100-metre run the Olympie chart has ever shown. And you can go all the way hack to the first Greek that ever set his feet upon a running track. They gave the race to Eddie Tolan, but Metcalfe was so close that only a gnat's eyelash could have shown the difference as both tied the world's re•cord at 10.3 seconds and broke the old Olympie mark with .3 of a second to spare. But to get the complete pieture of this human sweep of the double cyclone to the tape, one must go hack to the two semi-final heats. In each case there was a desperate, heartbreaking struggle to survive, with the world's greatest runners battling for the last six places. White, Black, and Brown. In the first heat, Tolan, of the United States, Joubert, of South Africa, and Yoshioka, the little brown whirlwind from Japan, were so closely .bunched that more than half the crowd at the finish lin j gave the verdict to the Japanese schoolboy as his spinning feet flashed along the open path. Tolan, Joubert and Yoshioka were in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder, as the tape gave way, but even this great race lacked the thrill of the second and hardest heat. They were away together and as thev uassed the 50-metre mark Met-

calfe, of the Unitcd States, Simpson, of the United States, Jonath, of Germany, and Luti, of Argentina, were matching stride for stride. There was no difference the human eye could see — no margin that looked as wide as an inch. They were still shoulder to shoulder in one straight line as they came to the 80-metre mark, with the finish only a few strides left. Th'en Metcalfe, of Marquette, threw his powerful hody out in t ont to win by a foot or so and enter the final test with Tolan, Simpson, Joubert and Yoshioka, the pick of the sprinting world. It was evident at this point that the the final sweep and rush had to be between the two black bolts from the Middle-West. They had dominated the day at Paio Alto in the final United States trials. They had won their heats all through the Olympie eliminations. And the setting was now perfect for one of the big aets of the carnival. When Black Meets Black. There were at least 50,000 spectators with fluttering pulses* under a golden sun as the six survivors faced the starting line, and waited for the starter's gun. Here was a race that had to be a matter of inches. The sp-aed had been so great that Percy Williams, of Canada, who won both the 100 and 200-metre races at Amsterdam, was shut out. The glory of yesterday had heen swept aside by the greater speed of a newer day. It was known in advance that Tolan of the United States, and Yoshioka, of Japan, would be off and away at the greatest starting speed, and that is the way it happened as 50,000 pairs of eyes ti'ied in vain to follow every metre of the road. Tolan and Yoshioka were leading, but Jonath, of Germany, Metcalfe of the United S'ates, and Simpson, of the United States, were seurrying along only a foot or so behind. Then Tolan, who for three years wore the maize and blue of the Wolverines, drove on in front as Metcalfe met his challenge. Here was the urifailing pieture of two black streaks of lightning, two darlc stabs against the light, that v/ere to settle the issue. Just 20 metres from the finish, Metcalfe's powerful legs drove him forward and he came up to within six inches of Tolan's smaller body. The big crowd came to its feet as the two coloured fiyers swept along, side by side as far as anyone not directly at the finish line could see. They seemed to hit the taut tape together. But Tolan, leaning slightly forward just at the vital spot, drew the verdict by a matter of inches as Metcalfe passed him a yard on beyond. The final drive between little Tolan's flying feet and Metcalfe's tremendous stride was something no one in this crowd will ever forget. It was more than Jonath, the star German sprinter, the best in Europe, could quite match. It was too fast for Simpson, the Ohio challenger, who ran fourth. It left Joubert, of South Africa, behind, and it erushed little Yoshioka, of Japan, who finished last. It wa*s a test of speed the paler colours could not meet. Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but track trainers will take brunettes. When it cornes to modern speed the palm goes to darker meat. Olive grows better in deeper shades.