NOTABLE ATHLETE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 99, 28 April 1945, Page 19

NOTABLE ATHLETE

DEATH OF CHRIS. OLSEN

! Well known in Auckland, C. M. | ("Chris") Olsen, who died at Palmerj ston North on Saturday, was a I naturally gifted middle distance runner and one of the greatest athletes Otago has produced. To him championship competition was only a part of the sport and not the only objective to be aimed at. His business took him out of town a good deal and he had only limited opportunities for training. Olsen was a credit to amateur athletics, and with more regular opportunities for training might have proved himself one of New Zealand's greatest half-milers. As it was, he accomplished some remarkable performances, often on a preparation of only a few weeks. He was a champion from 100 yards to the half-mile, as the following list of his best performances will show:— 100 Yards, 10 l-ss; 220 yards, 22 2-ss; 440 yards, 50 4-ss; half-mile, 1.57 3-5. Duel with Hahn Before coming to Dunedin Olsen was a member of the Wellington Amateur Athletic Club team, which won the Wellington mile medley relay championship. One of his earliest impressive performances in Otago was to finish second to the famous American Olympic runner, Lloyd Hahn, in a 440 yards handicap at the Caledonian Ground in 192 G. Running from 15yds, Olsen gave the crowd a I great thrill when his brilliant burst up the straight had Hahn doing his best to win by a yard in 525. In the same year Olsen ran second in the 440 yards New Zealand championship at Dunedin to W. Kyle (Wellington) in 51 3-ss, second to C. H. Taylor (Canterbury) in the halfmile in 2.3 2-5, and was a member of the Otago team which was second to Wellington in the mile medley relay. Beautiful Action Olsen had a beautifully free action, and when he won the half-mile at Auckland in 1927 in 1.59 he created a fine impression. He had bad luck in the New Zealand half-mile championship in Christchurch the following season. He was so badly jostled that he was compelled to drop back to last position, but, coming again 300 yds from home, he finished in second place 4yds behind C. B. Allan

(Wellington), whose time was 1.58 4-5. He reversed this result at the Australian and New Zealand championships at Wellington a few weeks later, when he finished in second place, 2yds behind C. S. Stuart (New South Wales). Stuart's time was 1.57 1-5, a sscond outside the Australian and New Zealand record, and Olsen recorded 1.57 3-5. Olsen allowed himself to drop a fair way behind Stuart, and as he v as going past another competitor they collided and the small, light Otago runner was thrown out of his stride, this costing him syds. After leaving Dunedin for Auckland, he won the Auckland half-mile championship an 2.3 on a few weeks' training. _