Athletics of To-Day 1929

-- - ~ Athletics of To-day Enck, U.S.A. ; Martin, indeed, ran Lowe to a terribly close finish (as can be seen from Picture I, Plate g). In fact, the Cambridge Blue only just managed to get up in the last ten yards. In Igz6 the young French champion, Seraphin Martin, represented France against England at Colombes, when he made the running too early through inexperience and was beaten by both Lowe and Tatham in I min. 52j secs. But in I927, when the return match was held in London, he gave the English spectators some thrills of anxiety. In this particular event, Lowe was supported by the young Oxonian, V. P. Brown, and A. R. Taylor. Their opponents were Sera Martin, R. Wiriath, and I. Keller. It was a curiously run race, and the slow first lap of 435 yards in 58-} secs. did not at all suit Lowe, but he came suddenly to life when Martin raced by him with nearly 350 yards still to go. Entering the back straight, Lowe assumed the lead, but only for an instant, then Martin tore past him again and opened up a gap. To those who had not seen Lowe win the I924 Olympic 8oo metres from a position which had appeared equally hopeless it seemed certain that the Frenchman must win, but Lowe got to his shoulder with twenty yards yet to run, and then, just as he had beaten the Swiss Martin in Paris, so he beat the French Martin in London, but only by inches (as shown in Picture I, Plate Io) and the time for the second quarter was 55i secs., or 3 secs. faster than the first lap, which is directly contrary to all the accepted tenets of the way a half mile race should be run. The effect is seen in the full time, I min. 54-i secs., as compared with Lowe's I924 Olympic victory of I min. szt secs. and his Igz8 time of a full second faster. A week later at the French championships, Martin estab– lished two new French records by running 8oo metres in I min. szt secs. and I,soo metres in 3 mins. 59i secs. It may be added that in the I927 Franco-German match, Martin finished first in the 8oo metres (I min. 53! secs.), with the G rmans Neumann second (I min. 53i secs.) and P ltzer third (I min. 54! secs.). Douglas Lowe is both a great and a charming personality. -