Athletics of To-Day 1929

The Distances-2 to 1 o Miles 99 England as H. Britton, E. Harpur, C. E. Blewitt, Corporal Cotterell, Wal. Monk, W. Beavers, W. R. Seagrove, H. A. Johnstone, A. T. Muggeridge, J. E. Webster, H. W. Payne, E. A. Montague and B. C. V. Oddie. Most of them have won A.A.A. titles, all of them have gained international colours, but not one has proved himself as good in the Olympic arena as was George Hutson. It may be said, indeed, that world mastery at the distances from r,soo metres to the Marathon Race of 26 miles 385 yards, and possibly including that distance, has passed definit ly into the hands of Finland for the time being. Kolehmainen at Antwerp had in the team with him the man upon whom his mantle was to fall-Paavo urmi. And Nurmi, curiously enough, found his most dangerous opponent at Antwerp to be the successor of Jean Bouin, who had fallen in the War. J. Guillemot, France, however, beat Nurmi at 5,ooo metres, but was beaten by him in the ro,ooo metres. Before the Paris Olympiad arrived, Nurmi (see Plates rr and 23) had shattered the world's r mile record complet ly, and ju t before the Gam s Willie Ritola (s e o. r, Plate 23) returned to Finland from Am rica, wh re he had won the ro miles ros - ountry Championship and had set up n w American r cord at thr e and four miles, the former on an indoor track. Thi pair at Paris swept all b fore th m and their chi f rival was Edvin Wide, of Sw d n. Nurmi won the r,soo metres, the s,ooo metres from Ritola and \Vid , and finished ahead of Ritola in the 3,000 metres t am ev nt and th ro ,ooo metres ross- ountry race. In thr of these races he beat Olympic record. He did not run in the ro,ooo metr s flat race or the 3,000 metres Steeplechase. In the former Ritola again beat Wide in the new world's record time of 30 min . 23 secs., and again broke world's record in the Steepl chase, which he took from E. Katz, Finland, in 9 mins. 33} secs. Of the s nsational happ nings in the ross-Country race I shall write in a later chapter. Nurmi finished off that year with a blaze of record-breaking in October and November. His world' record mad then and