Athletics of To-Day for Women

Throwing the Javelin Triangular International in London was Marie Janderova (Picture rr3), of Czecho-Slovakia, whose two-hand effort totalled rs8 ft. 7i ins. he, like the English throwers and her fellow Czechs, used the old, double-hand style, and is seen in Picture rr3 in the position assumed at the commencement of the approach run. Clara Ballard, incidentally, was the only girl of that year throwing in the other style, and Mile. J anderova asked me about it and said quite frankly that she could see that the style the Canadian girl was using was by far the better of th two. The javelin which is used by women nowadays is 7 ft. 2 ins. in length and weighs 6oo grammes, or zr 3 oz. The pioneer of the sport in this country was Florence irchenough, who won the Javelin event at Paris in rgzr, when representing England against France. Miss Birchenough subsequently handed on her knowledge to one who was to become our outstanding champion. I refer to Lady Heath (Pictures rr4 and rrs), or, as we then knew her, Mr . ophie Eliott-Lynn. In the double-hand tyle (as used by Lady Heath, th French girl Ganc 1, the wi s girl , ro limond and ianzola, and the Czecho- lovakians, M jzlikova I, Janderova, and lmrova) th comm ncement of th approach run po ition i as hown in ictur rr3. Eith r th fir t finger or the fir t ancl s cond fing r upport th tail nd of the jav lin, which pr id s my fir t obj ction to the tyle, ince it mu t be o viou that one cannot put a much power into th throw with a two-fmg rtip pu h, a i provid d by a full pull of the wh 1 arm and firmly s t h nd encircling th inding. Pictur II3 of Mlle. J and rova will h w also that th thumb and the remaining fing r x rt th ir pre sure upon the nd of the jav lin haft, while th oth r hand act m rely as a guider. Mlle. Jand rova ha the 1 ft arm disposed acro s her body, but it \ s the custom of th Engli h thrower to extend th 1 ft (guiding) arm upward at an angle of approximat ly 45°, that th hand form d much the ame r t as a billiard play r mak s f r hi cu . hi was th ition from which it was nt nd d that th j<v lin hould 1 v the hand .