Athletics of To-Day 1929

Throwing the Hammer 305 meant by brutally assaulting our Alsatian allies, who had remained at their post some days after the rest of the French troops had been withdrawn! Lieut. G. Howard-Smith, M.C., the famous C.U.A.C. high jumper, who preceded Flaxman as battalion bombing officer, died of wounds on March zgth, r9r6, and Flaxman was killed in the attack upon Gommecourt during the first Somme offensive on July rst, rgr6. Thus passed two very gallant sportsmen, who had used their peace-time pursuits to the fullest advantage in the grim game of war. Flaxman has a worthy successor in the diminutive Scottish international, J. Jackson, of the Field Events Club, Edinburgh, who is of similar height and gifted with a like tenacity. There is a good tale told of his extreme keenness, from which it would appear that, as he was unable to get out to a training ground in the day-time, it was his wont to practise swinging and turning in a deserted street very late at night, until one night he slipped and let the hammer fly clean through a plate glass window. I give the tale as an instance of athletic keenness, but do not vouch for it as being true. In rgo6, the same year that Flaxman first took to spiked shoes, Pat Ryan came into the game. He was born at Pallas– green, Co. Limerick, Ireland, in r887. At nineteen years of age he stood 6ft. 2 ins., weighed rz stone ro lb. and had already become naturalized in America. It took him eight years to work up to hammer throwing championship standard, and so he did not get into the American team for Stockholm in rgrz. The following year, however, he won his first A.A.U. title at I77 ft. 7! ins. and that title he held right through until rgzz, except for rgr8 when McGrath again became champion at I73 ft. rr! ins. Ryan, however, never again found such form as in rgrz, for in that year he put the world's record at its present limit of r8g ft. 6! ins. and, incidentally, had increased in weight to I7 stone rz lb. This increase in weight is typical of most hammer throwers, for McGrath also put on 3! stone between rgo6 and rgr3. Ryan won the Olympic hammer throw at Antwerp in rgzo, X