Athletics of To-Day 1929

Throwing the Javelin 4-h ins. Lindstrom was unlucky in not quite finding his form at the right time, for in the following month he raised the world's record to 2I8 ft. 6! ins. This record was destined to stand for some years. The English native championships, unwisely abandoned after only a three years' trial, produced such men as Corporal Eyles, who deprived me of my title in I924, while the Pro– vincial Universities gave us two excellent throwers in P. Fisher and W. P. Abell, both of Nottingham University College. The latter made the official English national record of I66 ft. I ins. in I927, but neither he nor Eyles was given a place in the British Olympic Team, I928, although the latter had beaten I76 ft. Not present Olympic form perhaps, but it would pay to encourage such men by giving them the just reward of their labours. Consider, for example, the improvement in Myrra's form between I9I2 (8th) and I920 (Ist). Since Dalrymple b came A.A.A. Champion in I923 and E. G. Sutherland, South Africa, held the title in I924, no British r had a look in at the Championships until Stanley Lay came over from New Zealand in I928. In I925, Bela zepes, Hun– gary, won at I76 ft. I in., but was beaten in I926 by 0. Sunde, a magnificent looking Norwegian, who threw 20I ft. 3 ins. But in the next year the little Hungarian pulled out a new British record of 2I2 ft. 7! ins., beating unde, 203 ft. 9:. ins., and Dalrymple, I83 ft. 7 ins., while G. C. Weightman-Smith, the outh African and .U.A.C. hurdler, amazed us all by placing fifth at I74 ft. IIt ins., without showing the faintest glimmerings of javelin throwing technique. At that time, B. Schlokat, Germany, had already beaten 2IO ft., R. Degland, France, had done 2I8 ft., and we had heard rumours of a remarkable young New Zealander. This was Stanley Lay (Plate 4I, et seq.), whom I met for the first time a week or so before the A.A.A. Championships, which served as Olympic Trials in I928. Lay, who had always been a pretty u snappy" cricket ball thrower, had taken up javelin throwing in I925, but never bettered I30 ft., until he competed against an American team on tour in Australasia. He then adopted