The Visiting Athletes.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7760, 11 March 1905, Page 2

The Visiting Athletes.

INTERVIEW WITH DUFFEY. UUNEBIN, March 8, A. F. DufTey, the champion IOOy runner, arrived here this moriiin Widmer, tho New South Wales chai pion for 100 yds and 400jxte, and ti Victorian champion, for the latt distance,)land Wheatly, the Victorii 880 yds champion, also accomitai Dufley. Duffey, who is only sft 7iu height. does not strike one' at fir glance us an athlete. lie 100 l lighter than his weight, which i gives a't lOst, or 616 or 7tß mo: than ho should strip when fit. I speaks with a decided American a cent, and has many characteristii which arc generally supposed to 1> long to Americans, lly profcsttie lie is a solicitor, and took hisdegr* in the Georgetown (U.S.A) I'trivei aity in 1902. lie lias informed a interviewer that ho has been rui ning since 1696, and when invited t Sew Zealand was anxious to conn is he wanted to see the colonic riis last appearance lon the tree prior to sailing was on Sept. 10, i England, and from that date unt lie end of November he had waikto hear something definite of the hi angements for his trip. Wliou uuk d about tracks, Duffey sniii thai oth Shrubb and he preferred cin. Icrs, and, though he has run hum< f his best sprints on grass 'tracks, lis bast times have been done on indcr patlu. He htul run up to 220 ards, but when bo found himself inlined to go he confined himself io 00yds, and lias made that distance specialty. His best times include iany records, and arc : 40yds, 4 !W» ic; 50yds, C l-osee; 00yds, fl 2-5 ic ; 75yds, 7 8-ssec; 100 yds, 9 ii-0 ic; and 120ydSi 11 2-ssec. Ho }\i the English championship for )oyds for four years running, and going to have another try next season to regain the honour, and talks about then going] home to work. When naked about his defeat in Molbourno he sukl that neither Slirubb nor lie Kail enjoyed the best of health in Australia, and ho considered that ho would riyiuirc n few weeks jet to regain his true form, when he expected to do at least evens. {{Tie thought this climate would suit him, though his best per. formnnces have been done in 103 or 104 In the shade. Hk> tracks he had seen in Melbourne mid Itcmligo »wc much the samo us in the smaller towns in England, but. did not come up lo tho I (est -in either England or America. The nthletes lie had met in Victoria included so mo good men, but they were fewer in numbers than • expected, or was accustomed to. lie did not consider sufficient wa lone for amateur sporU, and th values of tho prizes oflerwl wer® rl liculously low, though in other re spects the management was good.