Athletics of To-Day 1929

286 Athletics of To-day fifteen years, took the A.A.A. title and set up a new British record of 147 ft., while Askildt brought the Norwegian record up to 152 ft. 4! ins. Then came the ninth Olympiad at Amsterdam. Great Britain, unwisely, I think, made no discus entries, although Howard Ford, C.U.A.C., had beaten 130ft. on tour in Hungary, and both C. P. Best, C.U.A.C., M. C. Nokes, O.U.A.C., and K. Pridie, Bristol University (No. r, Plate 46), were showing form with the discus which was at least as good as that displayed by, say, the British steeplechasers and some of the other runners we took over. I think this policy of unduly favouring track men is unwise, since it depreciates the value of field events in the eyes of all athletes, and certainly does not inspire a man to that long and painstaking practice which alone insures success. On national Olympic trials form in the various countries, we were entitled to expect something sensational, and we certainly got it. Hoffmeister, Handschen, and Paulus, like all the other Germans at Amsterdam, seemed unable to live up to the great– ness of the occasion, and Marvalits, Egri, and Askildt all lost their form. The Americans, and some others however, were at their best and beyond it. Clarence Houser won with a new Olympic record of I55 ft. 2! ins., from A. L. Kivi, Finland, I54 ft. ro! ins. ; ]. Corson, U.S.A., 154 ft. 6! ins. ; and H. Stenerud, Norway, rso ft. 3i ins., the first three beating the previous Olympic best by more than 3ft. The evenness of the throwing of the Americans and Scan– dinavians must, however, raise some moot points upon the question of style, for this sport, like javelin throwing, has developed along different lines in America and Europe, the European, or perhaps one should say more justly the Scan– dinavian, style producing the more finished performance, and that of the Americans, apparently, the more forceful delivery. In the European style the rising and falling wave action of the arms is the important feature. For this reason the three sketches of a Finnish discus thrower (Fig. 35) passing from the preparatory stance, by means of a turn, to the throwing position, have been drawn with the path followed by the hand controlling