Olympic Cavalcade

PARIS, I924 137 Abrahams, who had not stood up well under four suGcessive days of com– petition, was already out of the picture, and in that fatal split second Jackson Scholz shot past Paddock to snatch victory in the new Olympic record time of 2I·6 secs. Eric Liddell was 3rd and Abrahams 6th. That was the day, also, of the great disappointment of Sam Atkinson, of South Africa, who in his own country had repeatedly swept over the high hurdles to victory at I20 yards. As a rule he was a very safe hurdler, but this time he may have been ovez-confident or a trifle careless, for, when lead– ing in the I IO metres High Hurdles, he hit the tenth fence, stumbled and nearly fell, but managed to hurl himself at the tape in a desperate bid for victory. But in that final plunge Sam's body was bent forward from the hips, whereas Dan Kinsey had his chest well thrown out to win by the barest inches on the decision of the judges, who were the only people on a line with the winning posts to decide who was really the better man. Kinsey therefore credited America with an ~nches victory in I 5 secs. and left Atkinson to wait four years for his deferred triumph. Meanwhile, Ritola was increasing the score and the prestige of Finland, with the aid of several of his compatriots. In the Final of the 3000 metres Steeplechase, which was run over an exceedingly~ easy course on the grass inside the cinder track of the Stadium, he achieved victory in the new record time of 9 mins. 33·6 secs. He won with a long lead from his com– patriot, E. Katz, and K. Ebb, also Finland, was 5th. Marvin Rick, of the New York A. C., was 4th and E. A. Montague, of Oxford University and Great Britain, was unlucky to sustain a knee injury which prevented him from finishing no higher up than 6th, and that obviously in great pain. The next day, Thursday, IO July, was that when the triumphs and the form of the great Paavo Nurmi belittled and almost obliterated the per– formances of lesser m~n. He won the I 500 metres and the 5000 metres within two hours o£ each other and in both races he set up new Olympic and, I think, world's records. For the I 500 metres final race Great Britain had both Stallard and Lowe; America, Ray Buker, Lloyd Hahn and R. B. Watson; Switzerland a very fine singleton in W. Scharer; Finland three other men and France one, who wa's that great runner R. Wiriath. · Everyone wondered at the effortless running of Peerless Paavo, who seemed a stolid and impassive person when at rest but a perfect devil of inspired activity when in action and bounding along with head erect, chest out and his feet reaching out to haul his body after him. I do not think any man in the world could have beaten him at that Olympiad, nor do I think that any of the present generation would do so had they been alive in his athletic generation to pull him right out to maximum effort. Nurmi won the I500 metres from Scharer, .Switzerland, Stallard and Lowe, of Great Britain, Buker, Llo'yd Hahn and R. B. Watson, U.S.A., with other Finns filling the 8th, 9th and 12th places, in 3 mins. 53·6 secs.