Track Athletics in Detail (extract)

54 TRACK ATHLETICS IN DETAIL peculiarity about the champion's jump which many people do not clearly understand, and so they have named his style the " Sweeney jump." Any man who could go as high as Sweeney would have to clear the bar in the same manner. This peculiarity is shown in the photograph on the op­ posite page, taken at the International Games on September 21, 1895. Here Sweeney appears to be lying out flat onhis back, instead ofclearing the bar in an upright position. The upright position is all very well to maintain up to sixfeet, but above that every ounce of muscular power must be ex­ erted in raising the trunk—the head and shoul­ ders become a secondary consideration. Thus, although up to six feet Sweeney clears the bar in an upright position, when it comes to a higher leap he springs ashigh as he can from the ground, and then heaves his torso and shoots his legs for­ ward, twisting his body in the air until he comes into the position shown in the picture. He has to depend entirely upon the momentum of his run and the mid-air twist on top of the bar to get his shoulders and head over. The Englishmen who came over with the Lon­ don Athletic Clubteam were amazed at Sweeney's performance, and even after he had successfully cleared the bar at 6 feet 5^ inches, thus making a new world's record, the Britishers were sceptical until they had measured the height of the central point of the cross-bar for themselves.