Olympic Cavalcade

OLYMPIC CAVALCADE out of the 22 track and field events, degenerated into a straight fight, for the cup presented by Mr. A. G. Spalding, between the New York A.C. and the Chicago A.A., the N.Y.A.C. gaining the trophy by a single point. These particular Games went on for months. There were, it is said, no fewer than 390 competitions, of which only 14 were won by other than representatives of the U.S.A. Must we, therefore, despite the much improved standard of performance, regard the IIIrd Olympic Games as a great triumph for the States, who, as I think, could not have been beaten by athletes of any other nation; or as a broad farce as a programme of international sporting competition? - So far as the athletic contest is concerned it must, I feel, be again pointed out that more than one man emphasized by his victories the lesson given in 1900 by Alva Kraenzlein: how unjust the world has been to the Americans in attributing to their so-called genius for specialization in a single event the phenomenal success -they have so long maintained at the Olympic Games. In track and field events at St. Louis, all three dashes were carried off by Archie Hahn, the Milwaukee Meteor. Where he left off, Harry Hillman began. He took the 400 metres Flat, the 200 and the 400 metres Low Hurdles races. Meyer Prinstein repeated his Paris success in the Hop, Step and Jump and took also .the Running Broad Jump; J. D. Lightbody won the 8oo and 1500 metres Flat races and also the 2500 metres Steepl€chase, while Ray Ewry was successful in the Standing High and Broad Jumps and the Standing Hop, Step and Jump. The countries represented at the IIIrd Olympic Games were Australia, America, Canada, Cuba, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland and South Africa. It is true that Greece, still very hopeful, sent but two men, Nikolas Georgantes, a discus thrower, who found a l0w trajectory and was beaten by Martin Sheridan, U.S.A., and Perikles Kakousis, the weight-lifting cham– pion of the world, who won his speciality. There were also two lone Kaffirs from South Africa: they were named Lentauw and Yamasani. This, I think, was the first occasion upon which a black man ever took part in the Olympic Games. There was also Poage from Milwaukee, who was the only dangerous opponent to Harry Hillman over the 400 metres Low Hurdles. Once again the Marathon Race of 40 kilometres was the high-light of the Celebration. No less than ten Greeks, who sought to emulate the feat of Spiridon Loues in 1896, turned up and were allowed to represent Greece in the Marathon Race. With people thus permitted to enter casually at their own sweet will, and others, even up to the Vth Olymp~ad at Stockholm in 1912, paying their own way, it shows how free and easy were the Games in the opening years of the Modern Celebrations. Thereby, too, hangs a tale which concerns the