Athletics of To-Day 1929

Classical Distances 79 88o yards in r min. 57 secs. In the whole history of the Oxford and Cambridge Sports, 4 mins. 20 secs. has been beaten only twice, i.e., in r8g4, when ,V. E. Lutyens, C.U.A. ., returned 4 mins. rgt secs., and in rgo8 when C. C. Henderson-Hamilton, O.U.A.C., made the present Inter-University record of 4 mins. r7t secs. The first man to beat 4 mins. 20 secs. in an English hampionship was the great W. G.,George, Moseley A.. who (No. 6, Plate 12), took the title of r884 in 4 mins. r8i secs. In America 4 mins. rgi secs. was returned by A. R. Kiviat (Irish-American A.C.) when he won the rgrr A.A.U. Champion– ship. In 1925, however, the national record was reduced to 4 mins. 12 secs. by both Paavo urmi (Finland) and Joie I ay (U.S.A.). The first man to bring the American Inter– Collegiate record below 4 mins. 20 secs. was W. C. Paull (Penn– sylvania), who in rgog recorded 4 mins. 17! secs., this record being still further r duced to 4 mins. I4f secs. by J. Paul Jones, Corn ll, in 1913. The late seventies brought to light a tall, thin English runner, with a prodigious stride straight from the hips. This was W. G. George, born at the village of alne, in Wiltshire, on S ptember gth, r858. He was to become one of the most famous distance runners of all time in due course. In the heyday of his amateur career, George won twelve A.A.A. Championships at half, one, four, and ten miles, still a record for any individual. In those days his principal rivals were B. R. Wise, O.U.A. ., who afterwards became Attorney– Gen ral for ew outh Wales, and W. nook, of hrewsbury, a short, thick-set man of remarkable physique. By the end of r884, George had fulfilled his ambition to beat all amat ur and most world's records from r,ooo yards to 12 mil s, the L.A.C. having arranged a s ries of sp cial handicaps during that y ar for his benefit. There was only one man in the world who could claim equality with George. That was W. ummings, but he was a professional, which precluded a meeting between the two. For two reasons George determined to join the professional ranks. In the first place the A.A.A. would not grant him