Athletics of To-Day 1929

·--- ~ - Athletics of To-day assembled. In twenty-seven events these Americans scored twelve first places and made five of the nine new world's records. Of the five new Olympic records the United States established two, and one of the two marks equalling previous Olympic records was made by an American. Finland was again Am rica's greatest rival for athletic supremacy, and, although the Americans won back many of their field events laur ls, the three Finns, Paavo urmi, Willie Ritola, and Albin Stenroos, outclassed all oppo ition in the distance races from rsoo metres to the Marathon race of z6 miles 385 yards. The ninth Olympiad at Amsterdam in rgz8 will go down in history as the celebration at v hich sp cial ev nts for women athletes wer first includ d. Th m eting was notable al o for num rous oi.h r rea ons. Japan and the athl tically 1 ss r known nations made their pr s nee f lt in no uncertain mann r. anada produc d a t am that amaz d th world, and th ir nin teen-years-old schoolboy, P. Williams, won both sprints. outh Africa v as but little b hind h r i t r Dominion, and the Briti h t am again claimed two tit.l , . Low retaining hi oo m tres laur 1 , and Lord urghl y taking the 400 metres Low Hurdl . inland not only gain d victori s through her vet ran , urmi and Ritola, but pr du d also a new g neration of runner who prov d th msclv unb atabl . Am ri a collapsed with her track tar , but again did w 11 in the fi ld vents, and ermany never fail d to pu h Am rica hard for pr mi r honours, but h r athl t , n w to lympi competition, from which their country had b n debarr d since 1914, appeared to b compl tely ov r-aw d by th gr atne of the occasion. In the cours of the Olympiad four v orld's records w re b at n and one quall d, and of the lympic record t n w re brok n and on quailed, a marv llous erics of achi v ment , in vi w of the condition f the track and the stat of thew ath r. The fin 1 placing nd point are given in a table in th Appendix. Apart how v r from all u stions of who won or lo t and the merit of actual performances, it must be noted that the athletic