Athletics of To-Day 1929

Athletics of To-day was not there, and so Hill finished first past the post in 4 mins. I3t secs., Stallard returning 4 mins. I4l secs. The finish of the race is seen in Picture No. 3, Plate II. Hill had been forced to go inside his schedule in the first lap to retain the lead, but was back to the right figure at the half distance; a too fast first lap had, however, to be paid for, and that payment was made in the third lap, for which he took 67! secs. Hill commenced his sporting career at fifteen years of age with the Gainsford A. C. as a S\vimmer and cyclist. The winning of second place in an 88o yards fiat race, weaned him to athletics, and in I9IO he won the North of the Thames ross– Country Championship from 300 opponents and in the same year won the A.A.A. four miles in 20 mins. o i secs. Then came I9I4 and his first bid for shorter distance honours. In the A.A.A. 88o yards Championship, Homer Baker, U.S.A., beat him by inches in I min. 54i secs. for a new championship record. The War years he sp nt in France with the R.A.F. rom I9I9 onwards it was evident that he was becoming a record-breaker. At Antwerp in I920 he won both the Boo and I,soo metres at the Olympic Games, and in I92I, after he had been running for eighteen years, he sma hed Joe Binks's British one mile record. A. L. Treble, Polytechnic Harriers, might have developed into as good a middle-distance runner as Hill, but the War robbed him of his chance. H. B. Stallard, C.U.A.C., was educated at Sherborne, where he won five events at the school sports, i.e., 220, 440, 88o yards, I mile, and steeplechase, which rather bear out the contention that a great miler must be also a sound sprinter. He went to ambridge in I9I9, wher his huge stride and dashing style soon created an impression. He tried cross-country running, but it was too much for him, and so he settled down to track work. In I923 he won the A.A.A. Mile in 4 mins. 2Ii secs., and in I924 the Half Mile, b ating D. G. A. Lowe by yard in I min. S4i secs., and in I925 took the 440 yards in so secs. In the Oxford and Cambridge Sports he won the Mile three times. The first time I met Paavo Nurmi, of Finland (see No. I, Plate II) was at the Antw rp Olympiad in I920, and I think