Olympic Cavalcade

54 OLYMPIC CAVALCADE in the Hop, Step and Jump, beaten only by an inch at 48ft. IO in. He had also tied for an English Long Jump title with L. J. Cornish at 22ft. I in. At Athens, O'Connor, jumping 23ft. at in., was beaten by Myer Prinstein, who eleared 23ft. 7t1n. But in the Hop, Step and Jump, which Prinstein, U.S.A., h~d won at 47ft. in I904, O'Connor won at 46ft. 2t in., Leahy being 2nd at 45 ft. wi in., and T. F. Cronan, U.S.A., vd at 44ft. I I i in. Prins_tein competed in the event, but could do no better than 4I ft. o· I in. Certain events had vanished from the programme. The Shot Put was replaced by an event called 'Throwing the Stone', not unlike what must have be@n the mGst primitive form of shot putting with a roughly rounded rock. Georgan_tas of Greece won this event, mucl} to the delight of his enthusiastic compatriots. His heave was .65 ft: 4 in., and he had a good style; Martin ~heridan, the Irish-American expert with weights, was 2nd at 62ft. 4 _in. But had James S. Sullivan of America been competing, no doubt he-would.have won, for he was without a peer in this type of contest. ~here was nG Hammer Throw. Throwing the Discus (Free Style) was still in ilie _ progr~mme. Martin Sheridan, who .was then the greatest discus thrower in ilie world, in the style· which ]:lad -been~ developed in America, retained his title _:iri that conte~t, winni~g w1th a throw of I36 ft. oi- in. from Georganta::;, Greece,- I24 ft. w -in.,-_and Werner Jaervin·en, -Finland, I20 ft. 9-/ 6 in. Meanwhile a Greek committee had been studying old drawings and statues, partic~larly the teconstruction of Myron's 'Discobo– lus', in an attempt to discover how their remote ancestprs really had hurled the missile. '[hey produced a contest J!hich was known as 'Throwing t_he Discus' (Greek Style). There were twenty-two entrants, including -Sheridan and Edgren, U.S.A.~ There were no British er Colonial competitors. The remaining SCQre were_Greeks, Scandinavians or from other -continental countries. -- "'"'"" · There p.re many reasons why this partieular competition mus_t be recorded. Discus throwing was an event--which had~ b~en instantly-ad~pted in U.S.A'.,~ was largely ignored in England, much to th~ _detrimen:t_ of our future Olympic .- pro_spects, but eady e~tablished a great hGld upon Continental and- Scandinavian athletes. ' - The .-~ontes.t was won ~by Werner Jaervinen and, moreover, -the first in which the :fl.ag~fFinland fluttered in victory;.at the mast-head. He was known at Athens as -'The Big Finn'. GeGrgantas of Greece was 2nGI, if my memory serves me ·correctly. Throwing the Javelin was also an_innovation -at the I9o6 Festival. It was undQubtedly a survival of the Northern Games, and had formed part of the Athletic: Pentathl~:m af- the_-Anci~nt- Olympic Games, when the spear was still a w-eapon of offenee. The contest was~ therefore, a gift fo.r Sweden, who took,Jour_fust_~places: Eric ~Lemming J76 ft. IO in.; Knut £indberg 148 ft. 2~"in.; B. -5odersttom I47 ft. ~4~ in;; and H. Mellander I45 f. 3~ in. i) ,... ~-- _- ,;.... - .