Olympic Cavalcade

BERLIN, 1936 205 The Modern Pentathlon was decided over four days, the first day being Riding; the second day Shooting and Fencing; on the third day Swimming, and on the fourth the Cross-country run. S. Abba, Italy, led from R. Mollet, Belgium, and G. Handrick, Germany, after the Riding, but at the end of the second day Handrick led from the old Modern Pentathlist, S. Thofelt, Sweden; on the third day Thofelt was again in the lead with Handrick but 3! points behind him. It was the Cross-country run which put paid to the ·Swede's chance of regaining the title which he had won in 1928, for he could finish only 24th in that event, which, as at Los Angeles, relegated him ~o 4th position. His total score was the same at Berlin as it had been at Los Ange~s. It should be remembered in this connection that at Amsterdam there had been 37 competitors whereas at Berlin there were 42. This was the first Olympiad at which the gam~ of Handball was included in the Olympic programme. The game is most popular on the Continent and is not unlike Association Football as regards the rules and the strategy, but it is played with hands instead of feet. In this particular type of sport Germany won the whole competition from Austria and Switzerland. Twelve countries were entered for the Field Hockey tournament, although Spain withdrew at the last moment and Great Britain did not send a team. The team from India was again outstanding, and Germany, whom India beat in the Final 8-1, showed greater judgment in positional play and finishing than any other of the Continental nations entered. In the match for 3rd place Holland beat France 4-3. In the Shooting contests van Oyen, Germany, beat his fellow country– man, Hax, and T. Ullman, Sweden, at 25 metres with Automatic Pistol or Revolver, but with the Target Pistol af 50 metres T. Ullman, Sweden, not only defeated a German and a Frenchman but also set up a new World's and Olympic record. Miniature Rifle Shooting at 50 metres went toW. Rogeberg, Norway, a Hungarian, a Pole, a Philippine, a Brazilian and a Frenchman all scoring 296 points each as runners-up to Rogeberg, who scored 300 points. For the 'Iron Game' Great Britain had a better Weight-lifting team than she had ever sent before to compete at the Olympic Games, and was ~ble to select five really good lifters to represent the country. British Weight– hfte_rs were, however, not up to the very high standard of the foreign · Weight-lifters, which is still steadily improving. None the less, it is a matter, ! think, of significance that at Berlin the 'Middles' lifted as much as the · Heavies' had done in 1928 at Amsterdam. The outstanding nation of the se~sion was Egypt, which supplied both the Light- and Middle-weight Wi~ners, but Germany took the Heavy-weight, France the Light Heavy- Weight and U.S.A. the Feather-weight. · . Wrestling was another feature of the programme in which Great Britain dtd not gain a single place, but of the English-speaking representatives America took one 1st_and three 2nd places, and J. Schleimer, Canada, was