Athletics of To-Day 1929

138 Athletics of To-day ship, and H. Jeppe won the Inter-University event for Oxford in 1920. The cream of the South African hurdlers did not appear, however, until 1924. In that year S. J. M. Atkinson broke F. R. Gaby's long run of success and won the A.A.A. title in I5-ft secs. on a rough grass track. At Paris in his Olympic heat he reproduced the same time without unduly hurrying himself, but in the final D. C. Kinsey, U.S.A., held him all the way, with the Swedes, Christiemsson and Pettersson, right up until two flights from home. Coming to the last flight, Atkinson was half a stride ahead, but he hit the hurdle hard, "pecked" on landing, but recovered and was only beaten an inch by the American in 15 secs. fiat. In 1925 G. C. Weightman-Smith arrived at ambridge University from Natal. He had been hurdling since he was thirteen years old and had beaten r6 secs. while still in his " teens." His real discov ry came about through an Oxford University team visiting South Africa in 1923 for a series of five matches, in three of which "\Veiters," then only seventeen years of age, took part. In the first he made Trevis Huhn (Princeton, U.S.A., and Oxford) return 15 secs. for a narrow victory; in the second S. J. M. Atkin on, the South African Champion, just beat him in rsi secs. ; and in the third he made Atkin on er ate a new outh African record of 15 secs. to win. In each of the two latter races the crack American– Oxonian hurdler was beaten into third place, and yet Weightman-Smith was not included in the outh African Olympic team which went to Paris in 1924. At home he had been overshadowed by Atkinson and Viljoen; at ambri ge it was th shadow of Lord Burghley which clouded his path for three long years, although in 1926 he twice achieved 15 secs. In June, 1927, he got insid "evens," and in March, rg28, set up an w Oxford and ambridge sports r cord of 15 secs. A.A.A. and Olympic Championship honours w re pr dieted for him in 1928, but he has been extraordinarily unlucky. At the English hampionships of that year he was lev 1 with, if not a little ahead of Atkinson at the seventh flight, where he hit a