Why? The Science of Athletics

THE BUILD OF THE ATHLETE 379 Boo metres is Poland, Italy, Norway, Finland, followed by four British runners, all doing better than I min. 54 secs. Taking the I mile and the I 500 metres together, we find a distinct British preponderance. At the longer dis– tance we have Lovelock, New Zealand, 4 min. I I ·2 secs. ; Graham, Scotland, 4 inins. I2 secs. ; Wooderson, England, 4 mins. I2·7 secs., and Stothard, Scotland, 4 min. I5·5 secs., while at 1500 metres, Reeve, England, 3 mins. 53· 5 secs., comes fourth to Beccali, Italy, 3 mins. 52 secs. Then, indeed, do the Finns come into their own, for, translating performances at corresponding metric dis– tances into · terms of three miles, seven Finns head the world's list for all nations, no less than six of them Feturn– ing times better than I4 mins. ro secs. for 3 miles. Finns also filled the first two places at Io,ooo metres. Where hurdle racing, an event of distinctly culti– vated technical skill is concerned, Klopstock and Beard, U.S.A., at I20 yards head the world's list with I4· I secs. The best man in Europe was D. 0. Finlay, Great Britain, I4·3 seconds, while Kovacs, Hungary, had the best 400 metres hurdles record in Europe of 53·2 secs., but in both cases the subsequent ranking was so widely and evenly distributed that any distinction would be in.sidious and unhelpful. In the high jump, long jump, pole vault and shot put, Americans were predominant. Three or more high jumpers beat 6 ft. 7 ins., at least four pole vaulters beat I4 ft. 3 i'ns., one long jumper did better than 25 ft. 8 ins., and many others beat 25 ft., while two if not three shot putters beat or touched 55 ft. Outside America, Metcalfe, Australia, shared high jump honours at 6 ft. 7 ins. with Kotkas, Finland, followed by Persaalo, Finland, 6ft. 6 ins., Germans taking the next three places at 6 ft. 5 ins. or better. Germany had the first and third long jumpers, both beating 25 ft ., as did Paul, the Frenchman, who ranked second on the list, whilst Richardson (Fig. I27), a I7-years-old Canadian