OLD-TIME ATHLETE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 286, 3 December 1925, Page 10

OLD-TIME ATHLETE.

MATT ROSENGEAVE RETURNS. JUMPING RECORDS "JUMP." "They don't seem to be getting the same class of athlete as in the old days," remarked an ex-world 'a champion longjumper, Mr. Matt Rosengrave, who has returned to Auckland, and in the course of a chat with a "Star" reporter, deplored the fact that athletics in New Zealand did not receive the attention it got over twenty years ago. He thought the reason for the lack of public interest nowadays in athletics was due. to the fact that the young men now had too many diversions, and devoted but a very small part of tiieir energy to athletics, on which they used formerly to concentrate their whole attention. Mr. Rosengrave recalled the occasion when he ran a hurdle race against George Smith, of Auckland, at the Domain, and came down at the eighth hurdle with the Achilles tendon of his left heel broken, a mishap that landed him for a long time in the hospital and definitely put him out of the running for world records, though he subsequently won four lesser championship events.

In chatting over the match against George Smith, Matt mentioned that, confident in his ability as a finisher, he concentrated on getting up with Smith at the start, for he had been told that Smith was bound to lead him up to the ninth hurdle. As a matter of fact he led Smith over the first six jumps, knocked the seventh and came down at the eighth, while Smith went on to finish in time equal to the record. Matt is of opinion that if the accident had not happened to him the winner would have beaten the record. He attributes the accident to the fact that he was a sick man when he started the race, having to have stimulants to get him to the starting post. Recalling the daysh when athletics loomed large in the puHic eye in Australasia, he mentioned the great interest when he arrived in Australia as the Irish champion jumper and hurdler. It was in 1896 when he met in Sydney the New Zealand champion hurdler, Billy Martin, of Auckland, and beat him. On the same day in the long jump he beat his own previous record of 22ft 10in with his first jump. In his second jump he beat C. B. Fry's record of 23ft 6in, and in his third jump he set up a new record of 23ft 6£in. After the sports he told the "Keferee" sports writer that before. twelve months had gone the world's record would be 25ft. The idea in his mind then was that he felt so well that he was confident he could do 25ft, but the accident which dosed his recordl&eaking nopes came before he had the chance. However, he was credited with beinsr n pronhet, for within the time stated first Preston and then Newburn, of Dublin, added inches to the record, taking it close to 25ft. Then O'Connor did his jump of 24ft which stood as a record, within a quarter-inch of 25ft, for twenty years. In 1921 O-eordin established the record of 25ft 3in,' only to be beaten at the last Olympic Games by Lβ Gendre with 25ft 6in. So it is obvious from these fitruree that where athletics are scientifically taken up there is no falling off in the class of athlete, though in the jumping events the champions of champions arc coloured men.