Coaching and Care of Athletes

.· THE GENESIS OF COACHING but was eliminated in the eighth heat of the I IO metres hurdles, which was won in the comparatively slow time of I5"2 secs. Perhaps one of the big thrills of the 1924 Olympic Games was in connection with the 8oo metres. This event the British fully expected to win with Henry Stallard, of Cambridge University, who, although he never won an Olympic title, yet achieved the extraordinary distinction of winning the English mile, 88o yds., and 440 yds. titles in successive years. At Paris in I924 Stallard was nursing a weakened foot, and yet, well paced by D. G. A. Lowe, also of Cambridge University (Plate XIV, Fig. 43), went all out to win the 8oo metres. Entering the home straight, Lowe appeared to be right out of the picture, but when Stallard faltered Lowe came through at great speed to take the title in I min. 52·4 secs.-a new Olympic record. In that race Stallard was fourth, literally falling over the finishing-line; yet a few days later he was placed third in the I500 metres race, in which Lowe was fourth. In I928 Lowe retained his Olympic 8oo metres title, returning the new Olympic record time of I min. 5I·8 secs. Lord Burghley won the 400 metres low hurdles in the Olympic record time of 53·4 secs., and although G. C. Weightman-Smith did not win the final of the I Io metres high hurdles,,in which he was placed fifth, he had, in the third heat of the eliminating trials, made an Olympic record of I4·6 secs. That time in those days also con– stituted a world's record. The year I932 again saw the star of British university athletes in the ascendant. Tom Hampson (Plate X, Fig. 33), who succeeded in gaining only a half-Blue at Oxford, but developed into a great runner, won the 8oo metres Olympic title in the world's record time of I min. 49·8 secs. He was the first man ever to beat I min. 50 secs. for the distance. The 400 metres low hurdles event was won by R. M. N. Tisdall, of Cambridge University and Ireland, in 51·8 secs., which would have been a world's record but for the fact that he knocked down the last hurdle. At that festival too Lord Burghley, making his last appearance in Olympic competition, finished fifth in the I 10 metres high hurdles and fourth in the 400 metres low hurdles. Most of the university men who represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games held in Berlin in I936 were of a somewhat different calibre from their predecessnrs. J. F. Comes and J. E. Lovelock, the latter representing New Zealand both at Los Angeles and Berlin, were alreagy Olympic veterans, and J. St L. a 33