Olympic Cavalcade

BERLIN, 1936 215 · considerably diminished by the loss through injury of illness of Arthur Sweeney and C. B. Holmes. They did not survive the heats. On that day, too, the Olympic Marathon of 26 miles 385 yards was run. _ Juan Calos Zabala, the former newsboy and Olympic Champion from Argentine, was there and had been for some months previously on the ., Continent preparing to defend his title. He trotted off along the spectator::– lined roads, for upwards of a million peopl~ saw some part of that race, and at 10 kilometres he was still right in the van, but -Ernest Harper, the veteran British ru_nner, and the Japanese, Kitei Son, were right with him. At 21 kilometres Zabala_was still there with Harper and Son. At 32 kilometres Zabala called it a day ·and sat -down. Harper and Son went on together. . Then the son of Nippon t<?ok the lead and finally popped out of the Marathon tunnel and into the Stadjum, showing no signs at all of fatigue, to set a new Olympic record of 2 hrs. 29 rnins. 19·2 secs. He had taken off his shoes ana trotted off to his dressing-room under the pavi-lion before Harper, who, like Sam- Ferris upon _a previous occasion'- h~d left his effort too late, also appeared. He _finished in 2h_rs. 31 mins.-23·2 secs. Then came Shoryu_ .., Nan, Japan, also- Koren, not quite ro secs. behind Son, and a ~ouple of · Finns and a South African. Meanwhile, the Women's_section of the ~Olympic programme· had _-~ been going forward with much the same-record-breaking success. Britisb girls, however, dig not gain a single gold medal, although the nation had ~ looked forward ·to Violef Webb, the very efficient liurdler, doing so. For "" Poland, too, there was a disastrous upset. Their star was Stella Walasiewi~-=zowna, who-haer pre','iQusly eclipsed all women's records·for the 100 metres - and the 10oyards. ~ · . _ ~-- - - "" - She was Polish-born, but resident and-trained'!n U.S.A. She, however, like Ritora the FinQ, preferred to run for th-e land of her birth. Some time – before the Games, however, Stella .h_ad encountered and succumbed to· an ~ American country girl named Stephens. Th~ l~tter _had never heard of the great Stella and was astounded when told that shehad not only won tlfe race but had defeated the Worla's record holder. --"' ¥ ~ - - She wa_s well and caFefully groomed and ..-pr~pared for the 1936 'Games, where she again.beaLStella at 100 metres, ans;l byreturrung II·5 secs. esta:Q-– lished a ne:wWorld's record in her own name. Violet Webb was among the..... ~ also rans in the 8ometres Hurdles semi-final, an9) n the Final itself C. Valla, who had been ta4ght by Boyd Comstock, the~ U.S.A. coacli then with the Italian team, cam~ home in the new Olympi~ record time of n·6--secs~, -~ _ which she recorded- in the semi-final, her win in- the Fin<:1l over A. Steur, Germany, and Miss E. G. Taylor, Canada;· :Oefng irt I 17 secs. In the 400-· metres Relay Helen-Stephens claimed her sec-cri&'gold medal when ~he part- --: - nered the Misse~ Bland, Rogers and Robinson in the _U.S.A. team::whidi, showing 46·9 secs., defeated Great Britain ~md Canada. , - ~/ In the High Jump for w.omen the great value of good style was again ~ -