Why? The Science of Athletics

380 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS negro, was fourth at 24 ft. I I ins., then came another German, followed by a Japanese. Japan provided the two best pole vaulters outside America, Nishida clearing I4 ft. o I/8 ins., and Oie I3 ft. I I 3/8 ins. ; Sweden being distinctly the next best country. Dr. Pat O'Callaghan, Ireland, was far and away the world's best hammer thrower at I86 ft. 8 I/8 ins. ; but, nationally, Finland stood out above the other nations, with Germany a good runner-up. Germany and Sweden '·shared discus throwing honours about equally, while Germany, Finland and Poland, in the aggregate, ranked just about equal in shot putting. The same might be said of Finland and Germany in the hop, step and jump, but Metcalfe, Australia, headed the list at 50ft. 4 7/8 ins., with Rajasaari, Finland, doing 50 ft. I I/2 ins., and Oshima, Japan, 49ft. 9 5/8 ins. Thus did the world stand at the beginning of the athletic year of the XIth Olympiad, I936, and of the nations, not having America's vast, heterogeneous ath– letic constituencies to call upon, it would, I think, be fair to assume that the Finns, at that time, were the most _ athletic-minded and the most athletically efficient people on earth, although there were signs in plenty that not many more Olympiads would elapse without finding Japan making a serious, and probably successful, bid for world championship honours. There is, however, no doubt that America is, as she always has been, the world's premier athletic nation. Problem of the Negro Athlete One of the reasons I have kept America out of the discussion to a large extent so far is because of the amazing achievements pro– duced recently by American negro athletes. I feel that the problem of the negro athlete calls for separate and special disc1:1ssion in any chapter of this book which is devoted to a consideration of the build of the athlete. Now let us see what has actually been achieved by