Athletes Have Progressed Since Last Olympic Games

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 334, 20 April 1928, Page 10

Athletes Have Progressed Since Last Olympic Games

Records Should Be Cut at 1928 Classic

AMAZING progress has been made by the world’s star athletes since the Olympic Games staged in 1924. And the Games of 1928 to take place at Antwerp should provoke the fracturing of many records. Stan Lay, the New Zealand athlete, is looked upon as a likely one to break the Games javelin-throwing record.

QOMPARISON of the best marks-* made in competition in Europe and the United States through 1926 and 1927 with the 1924 winning Olympic figures, portrays vividly the wonderful strides made i. the weight, the jumps and miscellaneous events. WITH THE JAVELIN It is in the javelin throwing event at the Olympic Games that New Zealand will no doubt be best represented of all. Stan Lay, the Hawera expert with the Greek spear, has been doing big things for the last two or three years, and throughout has been steadily improving. . In 1924 Jonni Myyrra, of Finland, won the javelin throw at the Games by tossing it 206 ft Since then nine men have beaten that mark, with Lindstrom, of Sweden, holding the record with a toss of 219 ft 2*in, made in 1926. In Hawera recently, However, Lay hurled the javelin 216 ft 3Jin. This was less than 3ft. short of the world record, but as Lay had a slight cross breeze to help him. it was not claimed as a record. HIGH JUMP IMPROVED Harold Osborne, who made a high jump of 6ft 5 7-Bin to win that event in th© Olympics of 1924, since then has jumped 6ft BJin, while Burg, of Chicago, tied Osborne’s Olympic mark last year.

+ When X)e Hart Hubbard went 24ft. : 5 1-Sin to win the 19.24 broad jump, everyone considered it a remarkable feat. But since then, live men have jumped farther, with Hubbard the record holder, due to clearing- 26ft .'JSin in 1927. VAULT MARK BEATEN The pole vault mark hung up in the 1924 Olympics has been beaten 14 times since then. Five men have put the 161 b. shot farther than did the 1924 Olympic winner. The discus, which was thrown only 151 ft siin. iri ! 1924, since then has been hurled more than 158 ft. The hammer throw of i 1924 has been beaten. Only the hop, step and jump mark of 1924 has remained unbroken. A. W Winter, of Australia, cleared 50ft lljin in 1924. Olympic competition and the best showing since then is 49ft 4^in. ON THE TRACK Times on the track have not, perhaps, improved like the distances in the various field events. Nurmi’s times in the longer events are not so likely to be tampered with in the next big classic gathering, as the shorter distances. Lloyd I-Xahn, the American who toured New Zealand a few seasons back accompanied by Jackson Scholz, the crack sprinter, and was beaten by Rose, has been doing big things lately. His recent well-known ’ feats include the setting of a new mark for the half-mile, beating Hr. Peltzer’s world record.