Athletics of To-Day 1929

220 Athletics of To-day By I908 two great Irish brothers had made their appearance. Dan Ahearne, the elder, had emigrated to America, but Tim stayed in Ireland. Dan did not come over to the Olympic Games of London, but Tim represented Great Britain. He was then twenty-two years of age, stood S ft. 7 ins., and stripped at 9 stone. In I907 he won the Gaelic A.A. long jump at 23 ft. 2! ins. and hop, step, and jump at 48 ft. 4 ins., and in I908 the Irish A.A.A. long jump at 23 ft. It ins. I have seldom seen a man so nervous as Tim Ahearne appeared to be in the stadium at Shepherd's Bush, where there were twenty competitors, but he put in a wonderful winning effort of 48 ft. II ins., only 3 inches less than the world's amateur record made by W. McManus at Cootamundra, N.S.W., I887. Ahearne is seen making his record jump in No. 3, Plate 31. That was the only British success in the I908 field events, although T. G. MacDonald, who was second to Ahearne at 48ft. S! ins., was a Canadian. H had never done anything like that before and was a great contrast to Ahearne, for the Canadian at twenty-six years of age stood 6ft. I in. and weighed well over I2 stone. The following year Dan Ahearne improved the twenty-two years' old record to soft. II ins. in America. And that record was destined to stand for yet another fifteen years. Mean– while the ontinental nations, especially the Scandinavians, were showing marked improvement, but England none. But D. Shanahan, at Limerick, I908, made a new British record of soft. o! in. In I904, M. D. Dineen, Ireland, had won the British Olympic Trial at 44ft. 4! ins. In the Briti h Trials of I9I2 he tied with . S. Abrahams, .U.A.C., at 43 ft. IO ins. Tim Ahearne meantime had joined his brother in America and was lost to us. At Stockholm there were a great many more competitors. Of them G. Lindblom, Sweden, proved the best at 48 ft. S ins., other Swedes finishing second and third, and a Norwegian fourth, the twelfth man, incidentally, beating 4S ft. During the War period the Scandinavians continued to improve and, in fact, developed a great liking for this "odd"