CAMP SWIMMING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1941, Page 5

CAMP SWIMMING

N.Z.E.F. SPORTS MEETING IN EGYPT. MAORI SHOWS AMAZING SPEED. (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service). CAIRO, September 5. Highest expectations of success were fully justified with the holding of N.Z.E.F. camp swimming sports at the main New Zealand baths on Tuesday. Events went with precision and there was the keenest competition throughout, some good times being registered. Highlights of the day were the invitation 100 yards freestyle event, which attracted entries from six sources, the invitation relay, in which there was one of the closest finishes one could wish to see, and an attractive exhibition of diving by the Egyptian Olympic representative Ibrahim Khalil. In the invitation freestyle the Maori boy Ratema, of Rotorua, walked off with the race, early establishing a handy lead with an amazing turn of initial speed. Only in the latter half of the last lap did he appear to ease off, but by that time he had the race well won. His time of 59 3-ssecs., was a record for the baths, beating the previous record of 60 l-ssecs. held by Noel Crump, New Zealand champion. Ratema is to compete against the Cairo 100 metre champion Valcimedes at the Egyptian championships shortly. Whether he shapes as well over the longer distance is a matter for conjecture. For 100 yards he has in New Zealand 56sec. to his credit. If he can swim to anything near that form and hold out over the extra few yards he should justify all hopes. The invitation relay was an exciting event, with three teams fighting out a hard finish. The main battle seemed to be for second place, between Maadi’s last man Ratema and Maadi Sporting Club’s representative, the former just scraping home, while away on the outside the Egyptian Army had sailed into first position to take the event by an arm’s length. Winner of the open dive championship was Brigadier Dyer, who in prewar days was an Australian State champion. He gave a pretty display. Second man Wright also showed himself to have fair ability.