THE SUCCESSES OF NURMI.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 82, 7 April 1925, Page 8

THE SUCCESSES OF NURMI.

NEW RUNNING STYLES , The successes -which are being won by Nurrai in America, and which follow so quickly on his triumphs in the recent Olympiad in Paris, are doing much to confirm the impression that was then fbrmed, that in Nurnii Finland possesses the greatest all-round track runner that the "world has ever seen. Contrary to custom among great athletes, Nurnii docs not run in the hitherto accepted style, but in a manner peculiar to l< mnish runners, which was brought out by them as recently as last July, at Colombes. Nurmi has always run rather in tins way, but in Paris it was as marked as' the difference between Finnish runners and the rqst. Judging from results it would appear to be highly successful. Before the Paris Olympiad the best track runners of the world employed a style in which the running was done from the toes, with the weight of the body well forward- A hint was given out in May last year that Finland were preparing, and experimenting with, a new style, and, quite apart from the bright blue of their running vests, representatives of Finland were easy to pick out in Paris from the rest, even in large fields, because they all ran in the same way, with the body perfectly upright and using more or less of a flat foot It is difficult to see where the advantage is to be found, for the risk of jarring would seem to be great. Yet the styh must he judged on the results achieved with it. In this connection it is interesting to note that it is not the pecu larity of one great runner: Ritola doe: not .use it, but all his running has beer done in the United States. With this solitary exception, all Finnish runneri except sprinters, have the same pecu Liarity. Nurmi lias, however, a habit entircr liis own, which has probably been forcec upon him by his pre-eminence over hi rivals. He invariably runs with a atop watch in his right hand which he con suits as he completes each lap of hi race. ,He runs against time, and no vgainst Ids rivals, a not altogether sur orieing proceeding when it is reman jered that he is nearly always well i front of the rest. He knows exactl; vhat he can do, and lie does it regard ess of how far his opponents are behin iim. Even on July 10, when, during th Olympic Games, Nurmi won the 150 md 5000 metres on the same afternoo with less than two hours interval be ;ween the- races, he did not spare hilt self as he might well'have done in wir ling the former event, which came firs >n the programme. Nurmi entered fc >ne other individual championship s Itolombes, which he duly won withot lifficulty. This was the now famoi ;ross-country race, run in the heat of broiling sun, and during which the m£ jority of the competitors collapsed. Thei 2an be no question that a grave errc svas made by the authorities in allowir the event to take place at all on tl day, or at all events at the time of da at'which the event was scheduled. Ye Nurmi won by over two minutes fro Ritola. To all appearances he finish< as fresh as he had been when he starte on a day when all the other runne were having a hard battle to finish i all. The Americans have proved within tl last few years their claim to be consi ered the greatest athletic nation of tJ world. In Paris they won very near every single event; they were placed nearly all they did not win. In t! athletic events held in the Stadium Colombes, only three members of t British team, and Nurmi, seriously intc fered with them. Yet this magnifice runner from Finland has gone over a: beaten their best performers on the own tracks. Not content with that has beaten their "records." There ci be no question that Nurmi has talent an abnormal degree, but, if it has be helped by this style of running broug out by Finland, it is time that ste were taken to investigate that style,