Athletics of To-Day for Women

14 Athletics of To-day for Women Services. This event was won in 55i secs. by the W.R.A.F . from the W.R.N.S., with the Q.M.A.A.C. third. In the same year the Provincial Universities formed the Inter-University Athletic Board of Great Britain and Ireland. An immediate decision was taken to promote Inter-University Athletic Championships for male students, and the memb rs of this ambitious and far-seeing young body canvassed the advis– ability of including certain events for women students at the forthcoming championships. It was decided, howev r, to hold this novel part of the programme in abeyance until such time as the venture, as a whole, should have proved it elf successful. This wis ly cautious decision of the men did nothing whatever to damp the ardour of the women student , who were already holding their own ind pendent sports meetings throughout the country. Th year rgrg is, for the r asons alrea 1y given, and for a numb r of others, an important one in the hi tory of women's athletics. It wa in that y ar that the ~' ration F minine portive d France a k d th lympic ommitt t organi e athletic v nts for w m n at the g n ral lympic am , and, although that ambition v a not to be gain for a furth r nine y ar , the foundation f r w m n' participation at m t rdam in I 2 had b en w 11 and truly laid. It was in I I , to , that w m n first app ar d, I b li v , in proper short and spike shoes. ne at 1 ast f th pion r of th b coming, and obviou ly logical innovati n w Mi urt n, f rk hire, who won th fir t rth rn Ladi ' roo yard hampion hip, which wa h ld in rgig. h r turned th excell nt time of 13 c ., and, th nks to th training he had receiv cl from h r father, him If an .·-chamr i n, h howed fine form and a compr h n ive knowl dg of th technique of th sprint r' art . Finally, it was in rgi that ther was found d th oli h thl tic ~ d ration, whi h ha pr uced that athl tic mar 1, Mll . Ialina.. Konop k. (I i tur 55), who at Amst r • m in August, I 28, th r 'W th I l·g. di us I2 ft. II~ in. . f r a n w w m n' world's r or 1, t whi h, in th f llowing n10nth at rali w, sh ad(l cl the r' onl of