Athletics of To-Day 1929

--- -- =-- Putting the Shot JJI America and Finland were now right on top in the shot put– ting business, but America, with her far greater constituencies of athletes, had the better chance of producing a new world's record breaker. In 1925 Houser took the A.A.U. Championship record up to soft. r in., and was followed by Herbert Schwarze. The latter was a second and perhaps bigger Ralph Rose in build and, I believe, a fine high jumper also, despite his enormous height and bulk. In rgzs he took the English title at 47 ft. 3 ins., and in rgz6 the American title at 49 ft. rot ins., and yet failed to secure a place in the American Olympic team of rgz8. ] ohn Kuck, meantime, had emerged from his high school cocoon and had entered the Kansas City State Teachers College. In rgzs he took the U.S.A. junior title at 48ft. z! ins., but had his record disallowed because of the weather con– ditions. A year later he placed second to Schwarze in the senior championship with a put of 48 ft. rr ins., and beat Clarence Houser. In the National Collegiate Championship he gained first place at so ft. o! in., again beating Houser, and became National Champion in 1927 at 48ft. 5 ins. Just prior to the rgz8 Games he at last succ eded in breaking Rose's sixteen-year-old record of sr ft., but only by half an inch, although a friend wrote me from the States that Kuck was repeatedly doing better than 52 ft. in practice. Even so, Kuck was not by any means the only bright pebble upon the world's beach. In 1927 Kalle Jarvinen (No. 4, Plate 6r), the nineteen-year-old son of th first athlete ever to send the flag of Finland to the Olympic's masthead, never once failed to beat 48ft., and twice went within an inch or so of the 50ft. mark. Wahlstedt, the ~innish high jumper and shot putter, ]. Daranyi, Hungary, E. Krenz, U.S.A., E. Duhour, France, and G. Brechenmacher, Germany, were all in the 48ft. class, while Bertil Jansson, Sweden, had done 49 ft. 6 ins. The most dangerous rival to Kuck, however, seemed likely to be the big German, E. Hirschfeld (No. 3, Plate 59). In rgz6 he was eighth on the German list at 43 ft. rr ltr ins., in 1927 fifth at 47ft. 5! ins., while W. Uebler had hardly been heard of.