SWIMMING.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1921, Page 3

SWIMMING.

CARNIVAL AT SYDNEY. i SUCCESS OF VISITING CHAMPIONS. | By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Jan. 16, 5.5 p.m. Sydney, Jan. 16. ' The swimming championship of New South Wale*. half-mile, resulted: —Langer (America) 1, Beaiirepaire (Victoria) . 2, Cotton (Sydney) 3. Langer led all the way. and won by twenty-five yards. Time, llmin. 16 4-ssee. Longworth finished fourth. Hundred yards race.—Kealoha (Hawaii) 1, Herald (Sydney) 2, Beck (Syd--1 ney) 3. The winner led throughout and I won by two yards. Time, 56sec. | Discussing the recent exhibition by ! Miss Bleibtrey champion lady swimmer lof the world, at Palmerston North lately, the local Times says': — i Miss Bleibtrey is one of the surprises of aquatics. Two and a-half yeftrs ago she could not swim, but is built in accordance with the requirements of a swimmer with speed and staying power. Superbly developed, she is strongly framed and covered with firm rounded flesh. Her arms and shoulders are tinted, with a delicate tan and her hair is short, silken and very fair. Her methods are strangely reminiscent of Tod. Solomon, the once great Australian. She uses her weight in the same Xvay; leaving the starting board with no more flurry than the mere bracing of the ’body' and expansion of the diaphragm; 'I and she gets the most from her dive. The arms move almost lazily in the water and the six stroke American crawl kick supplies all the motive power. Her speed is amazing and her endurance endless. After a clever exhibition of both front and back crawl and of fancy diving, Miss Bleibtrey sauntered over a quarter of a mile or more pacing and being paced by local champions. She showed extreme modesty in her demeanour, and little bursts of speed by which she shook off competition easily, were the products of deviltry rather than thought of superiority. Boeder, breast-stroke champion and Sollitt, open champion, were both disposed off with absurd ease. Miss Dowd, Miss Bleibtrey’s- companion, . also took the water and gave an exhibition of the crawl in embryo. After the exhibition Miss Bleibtrey issued a cordial invitation for every swimmer to take the water. The invitation was eagerly accepted, the champion sporting about ■ for another half-hour before dressing.

The secretary of the Hawera Swimming Club is in receipt of a letter from the secretary of the Wanganui Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association in reference to the visit of Miss Bleibtrey to New Zealand, stating that the reason for her being unable to come to Hawera was that a curtailment of tlic tour was found necessary because of the strenuous programme arranged. He adds that it is hoped arrangements can be made to take the Hawaiian swimmers to Hawera.