Athletics of To-Day 1929

308 Athletics of To-day remained unbroken since the hammer was instituted as an Olympic competition in Igoo. Nokes, in Holland, failed to beat I53 ft. to qualify for the final, which O'Callaghan won at I68 ft. 3 ins. from 0. Skoeld I67 ft. II ins., and E. Black, U.S.A., I6o ft. IO ins., with A. Poggioli, Italy, fourth, IS8 ft. 7 ins., and Americans fifth and sixth. America may be said to have maintained a high standard. The full statistics of the Igoo and I904 Games are not available, but from and including Igo8 results in the first six places read as follows: Ist 2nd 3rd 4th sth 6th -- ---- -- -- U.S.A. . . .. . . 4 3 2 0 4 3 Sweden . . .. 0 2 0 2 I I Great Britain . . .. 0 I 0 I 0 I Canada .. . . . . 0 I I 0 0 0 Ireland . . . . .. I 0 0 0 0 0 Finland . . .. . . 0 0 0 I 0 0 Italy . . .. . . 0 0 0 I 0 0 It may be noted that of the sixteen American places, seven were scored by naturalized Irishmen, that of the two Canadian places one was gained by a Scotsman and the other by an Irishman, and, similarly, of Great Britain's three places, two were taken by T. Nicholson, Scotland, and the other by M. C. Nokes, England. Since, moreover, the three biggest throws ever recorded were made by Irishmen naturalized in America, there is strong presumptive evidence that the Irish Celt is peculiarly adapted to this sport, which his forefathers first invented. I believe, indeed, that I am correct in saying that the only man, not of Irish birth, who has ever beaten I8o ft. in competition is F. D. Tootell, Bowdoin College, U.S.A., who took the American Inter-Collegiate title at I8I ft. 6! ins. in I923. On the other hand I am equally certain that M. C. Nokes could have thrown as far as any of them, including Pat