Germany and America Send Their Athletic Champions South

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 873, 17 January 1930, Page 7

Germany and America Send Their Athletic Champions South

Will Peltzer and Lermond Visit New Zealand ? . . . Sportsmen will Eagerly Welcome Distinguished Athletes

ATHLETICS in New Zealand are much in need of a revitalising influence. This season seems to have been conspicuous by a paralysing drift on the part of the powers that be, and a consequent lack of interest among the competitors. Outside competition is a powerful factor in any sport, and for this reason, considerable importance attaches to the negotiations entered into by the X.Z.A.A.A. with Or. Otto Peltzer (Germany) and Leo Lermond (U.S.A.), who are at present in Australia. At the time of writing, it is not yet definite that either of these worldfamed sportsmen can compete in New Zealand, and at the most, a couple of big metropolitan meetings in the Oominion seems to be all that can. be looked forward to. But it is to be hoped that the proposed visit, severely restricted as it may be, will become a reality. The sport is badly in need of a boost —in Auckland itself, the position has become so chronic that it will tax all the energies of the new executive to restore public interest and galvanise the flagging energies of neglected competitors into razor-edged keenness once more. So little has taken place this wintry summer that the possibility of a German-American athletic invasion has therefore become a prime topic of interest in a dull season. To Auckland, it is of primary importance, because here we have the finest all round distance athlete the Dominion has produced since the war, and the logical first selection to meet Lermond, the American champion miler and record-holder. That man is J. W. Savidan, triple New Zealand distance champion. On the scientifically prepared cinder tracks of his own country, Lermond is credited with a record of 4min 13sec. It remains to be seen if he can get anywhere near that time on the natural turf of the Antipodes. This nuggetty 32-year-old American was well over 4.30 when he ran a moderate fourth in a track meet at Sydney last weekend as a “pipe-opener” to the more serious work of the tour. Lermond says he will improve considerably on that preliminary effort. Undoubtedly, he will. The best point of comparison between him and Savidan is this. The chesty Aucklander registered 4.29 1-5 in winning the New Zealand championship last year; Lermond, on the other hand, went 4.24 3-5 in a similar titlewinning effort in the States. On that basis, the comparison favours the American. But it is dangerous to form any definite opinion on times as between one country and another, when the relative circumstances are a matter of conjecture. Lermond is almost certain to have run on cinders; Savidan on grass. There are other factors to be considered. too, in the light of a possible meeting between the two men in New Zealand.

A touring athlete has the hardest part of it to do to reproduce his true form when travelling. Even the mechanical Nurmi developed human enginetrouble on his American coast-to-coast tour, and in more than one major speed test in the States. Lloyd Hahn, on the other hand, found New Zealand’s climate and food so agreeable that before he knew where he was his weight rose alarmingly, and he never got over the handicap of having to lump the additional avoirdupois round unfamiliar grass tracks in the wake of the lean, long-striding Randolph Rose. And the Wairarapa giant in his turn experienced to the full the mortifying experience of being quite

unable to reproduce his true form on j his tour of the Old "World. Tomorrow afternoons meet at the Sydney Cricket Ground should give some; indication of how Lermond can adapt himself to antipodean grass tracks. lie has already expressed the view that he finds grass tracks lacking in fire, punching and driving power, and lie thinks that if good cinder tracks were laid down. Australians could clip four or live seconds from their mile times. Be that as it may, R. A. Rose himself established a thrilling mile record of 4.13 3-5 on a grass track at Masterton, and here at the Auckland Domain, the close-clipped turf has been the scene of many phenomenal race times, and still ranks as the fastest track in the Dominion at the present time, judging by the string of records that were broken or equalled at the last Xew Zealand championship gathering held in Auckland. If Lermond crosses the Tasman to compete here, as everyone hopes he will, lie will find in Savidan an opponent worthy of his own brilliant American record. Year after year, the farstriding Aucklander has reeled off a list of performances which stamp him as a distance athlete of outstanding merit. His endurance is phenomenal, and his gameness beyond question. If _ Lermond can beat Savidan. he is “the goods.” Were Xew Zealand not so sadly lacking in high-class middle-distance athletes, the projected visit of the wonderful German, Otto Peltzer, would excite the more interest. This fraillooking doctor of philosophy startled the athletic world in 1926 when he won the English A.A.A. half-mile championship at Stamford Bridge, defeating that great Englishman, D. G. Lowe, and incidentally setting a new world’s record of 1.51 3-5. Going back to Berlin, Peltzer took on Nurmi and Wide, at

the height of their careers, and romped home a winner over 1.500 metres in 3.51. another set of figures that shattered the old record for the journey. It is only right to point out that all this happened three years ago, and that since then, Peltzer has given no substantial proof that he is still the vital force in world athletics that he used to be. It remains to be seen if he can reproduce his old form in Australia, and in New Zealand (that is. if his expressed desire to compete here is gratified). Lermond took on running because he was a mediocre swimmer, and Peltzer ran because he was a delicate youth, and believed that running was the natural way to expand the lungs and strengthen the heart. He is essentially a “made” athlete, and as a rule, the manufactured article does not last so well as the natural product, even though intensive training can produce its culminating period of overwhelming success. For all that, however, it is safe to say that the blond German is still a great athlete, and if he comes here, we will find it hard to produce an opponent who can foot it with him over half a mile. The visit of this pair of world-fam-ous runners may be regarded as the fourth of the series of international or Empire tours of athletes, which have materially helped to make athletic history in the Antipodes. The first was in 1905, when Arthur F. Duffey, a great American sprinter, and A. A. Shrubb, an English distance runner, who still has his name on the world’s record slate, competed against our best men. In 1914 a gallant little team came from America under the managership of Major E. M. Peixotto. It consisted of G. L. Parker, sprints; R. R. Templeton, hurdles and jumps: J. A. Power, middle distance runner; and E. R. Caughey, shot, discus and javelin. The third visit was the popular band

of fine athletes from South Africa, with Mr. Ira G. Emery as manager, in 1922. With him were J. K. Ayres-Oosterlaak (Pretoria). sprints: J. W. Bukes (.KroonstadO. sprints: H. P. Kinsman (Natal), sprints: R. Johnson tTransvaal). middle-distance runner: and D. Leathern (Natal), middle distances. In 1923 a fine trio of American athletes visited New Zealand. They were M. M. Kirksey (sprinter). C. G. Krog> ness (hurdler) and J. W. Merchant (field games). The famous hurdling duels between Krogness and H. E. Wilson (Wellington) were a memorable feature of the tour. Again in 1926 New Zealand was in the happy position of having R. A. Rose at the top of his form to oppose Lloyd Hahn, who toured the Dominion with Jackson V. Scholz, the Olympic furlong champion. Those who meet Dr. Otto Peltzer and Leo Lermond. the two famous international athletes, will be gratified at their charm and surprised at the wide gulf which separates the personality of one from the other, says Sydney “Morning Herald.’’ To Peltzer, Lermond is “a fine one”: to Lermond. Peltzer is “a reg’lar guy.” Both are friendly, approachable and like to talk about their sport. “What is my sensation in a race?” asked Lermond. “Why, if I am winning, tine. Sure. But if I am not —well —perhaps not so fine.” Dr. Peltzer has no sensations. just the will to win. If he fails, he says, it is usually because his leg is weak. “Ah, my leg:” he sighs tragically. Modestly but enthusiastically he explained his leap to fame. To decide who was the better. Paavo Nurmi (Finland) and Wide (Sweden), a match was arranged at Berlin in 1926. They had raced before and Nurmi was victorious. To add interest, probably to have someone act as a foil to the brilliance of the matched men, Peltzer and Boltcher were chosen to represent Germany. The match was over 1.500 metres. The result was sensational. Nurmi did not win. nor Wide: but Peltzer, easily, by three yards! It was an epic event which startled the world, and set up a record of 3m 51s. Asked which was the best race of his career, Peltzer said immediately, “That 1,000 metres against Martin (France). He had beaten me once. I determined to win. He has a strong finish, and in the last 10 yards, when he led, my friends said 'all is lost’; but I caught him, I passed him. and I won in 2m 25 4-ss, a world’s record. The time was probably better. One watch said 2m 245, but 2m 25 4-5 s was the official time. One watch was too far back.” There is none of Peltzer's earnest intentness about Lermond. who is an easy-going, ingenuous young man of 22, who set out on his running career with three ambitions. One was to par - ticipate in the 1928 Olympic Games. It was gratified. The second, also gratified, was to travel. The third was to set up world figures for the mile. That is not yet gratified. “But,” says Lermond, “it will be. You wait till I get back to the States. I’ll go straight to the Penn relays at Philadelphia, and boy, if I don’t haul down Norman Taber’s figures, I’ll sure be surprised. Yes, sir!” Lermond will then have gratified his three wishes. Then he will retire from the sport. He is not going to marry, he says, but one must W'ork. You can't work and train, too. That is the trouble. Apart from being the American onemile champion, he holds TJ.S.A. records for 1 mile, 2 miles and 5,000 metres. He was in the American team at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games and ran fourth in the final of the 5,000 metres race. Those finishing in front of him were Willie Ritola (Finland). 1: Paavo Nurmi (Finland), 2: and E. Wide .(Sweden), 3.