Olympic Cavalcade

OLYMPIC CAVALCADE came trotting into the Stadium almost 2 minutes ahead of his rival, Ritola, whom he watched finish, followed by R. E. Johnson, U.S.A., and E. Harper, G.B. Finland had placed the first two men home and had won the team contest with I I points from U.S.A., I4 points. Sunday, I3 July, was Marathon day and also the closing day of the Games. First of all, Hussey, Clarke, Leconey and Murchison produced a new World's record of 4I secs. in winning the 400 metres Relay, and Cochrane, MacDonald, Stevenson and Helffrich gave America a second World's Relay record when they won the I6oo metres Relay in 3mins. I6 secs. Furthermore, 'Budd' Houser took his second Olympic title by winning the :Piscus and setting up a new Olympic record of I)I ft. 5·2I in, but again V. A. Nittymaa, of Finland, who threw I47 ft. 5i in., was the runner-up, and the Norwegian, Ketil Askildt, was 5th. The advance of Scandinavia in genera1, and Finland in particular, was going steadily forward, for Nurmi, Ritola, Tala and Katz had all turned out to represent Finland in the 3000 metres Team race, which they won wi,th a score of 8 points from Great · Britain, I4 points, and U.S.A., 25 points. Nurmi's individual time was 8 mins. 32 secs. I shall not soon forget how at one stage of the race he dropped right back to the rear of the field to encourage and bring on to join the leaders one of the Finns who was s~1owing signs of flagging. Even then Finland's triumphs were not at an end. For the Marathon race, which was to be run out to Pontoise and back, Great Britain had high hopes for the success of young Sam Ferris, of the R.A.F., and the 'Scotsman, McLeod Wright. The Italians pinned their faith to R. Bertini, while the Americans would not believe that Clarence De Mar, a veteran distance runner and a printer-preacher from Boston, could be beaten by any living man. _ Finland, however, was to have the final word on that matter, and that with a man as mqch if not more a veteran than the printer-preacher. Finland's hope centred in Albin Stenroos, who had run for his country as long ago as the Olympic Games of Stockholm, I9I2. At that time he was 40 years of age and operating as a sewing-machine salesman in Helsinki. . Prior to taking up running, Stenroos had been a wrestler; subsequent to the Olympiad terminating in I9I2 he had fallen during a race and frac– tured his leg, but no sooner was the leg strong again than he turned once more to the running track and the road. W}:J.en the first message came through to the Stadium on the return journey, Stenroos held a lead of I minute over De Mat, U.S.A., Halonen, Finland, and Verger, Franee, but the Scot and our other big .hope, Mills, the Leicestershire farmer, wer_e both running well and with the next message came the news that the Scot was still in the picture 2 minutes behind the leaders. Then we heard no more of the British represe:atatives. Stenroos was still leading but the Italian Bertini had replaced De Mar as runner-up, while Halonen had passed Lossman, of Estonia, and El Ouafi., ofFranee.