Germans May Be Halberg’s Rival

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29299, 2 September 1960, Page 9

Germans May Be Halberg’s Rival

ROME, September 1. "The Germans have invaded Italy again,” was a comment made at the end of the first day’s athletics at the Olympic Games. They are certainly here in force, both on the track and on the stand seats in the vast stadium that looks like a giant saucer.

They gave notice to M. G. Halberg, in the persons of H. Grodotski, H. Flosbach and F. Janke, that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the final of the 5000 metres on Friday. Each of them won the first three heats in a fraction over 14 minutes, but In much the same time as Halberg (14min 3.Bsec) in coming second to the Australian, D. Power. It has not taken long for the crowd to know when the Germans are not doing well, for they have the most regimented cheer groups of the Games But Halberg, with his superb concentration and physical fitness, is not likely to be deterred from his determination to win by the Germans’ cheer leaders or anybody else. He ran a good race yesterday You could almost feel him working things out—running eighth or ninth in the first two or three laps, warming up and then deciding to move up to the front and stay there. Half-way round on the fourth lap he fairly bounded up to the leaders, tucked himself into third position, improved it to second and then was quite content for Power to go Into the lead and stay there after he had glanced

back over his shoulder to see that the Pole, who had led for most of the. way, was well beaten in third place. It was almost as it Halberg said to himself down the final straight, “I’m all right Jack,” and he was. It was exciting to see the finish of this heat under the floodlights, but it was even more exciting to see D. I. B. Smith battling in his second heat, covering 800 metres in the fourth fastest time for all runners in the afternoon session, yet failing to qualify for the semifinal. It was his bad luck to run against three runners in Murphy, the American, Waegli, the Swiss, and Matuschewski, the German, instead of being drawn in the second heat, which was Won by Schmidt (another German) in a time that was 2.Bsec slower than his own effort

P. G. Snell ran a grand race, yet he gave the watching New Zealanders the shudders when he dropped back to last as the bell sounded for the final lap. Perhaps it was supreme confidence on his part for, as he took the first bend be streaked past the field and before they knew what had happened there he was, two yards in front of Moens, the experienced Belgian, and showing him the way home.

Snell couldn’t quite keep it up, and Moens just headed him off. Snell learned from this race that it is better not to get left too far behind the leader in the first lap, but to spread your effort more evenly. One of his main assets is his strength and supreme fitness, and it is likely he will need every bit he has got to reach the final

The other two New Zealanders who appeared in the stadium yesterday—J. R. Mills and B. E. D. Weigel—were not up to their best. Mills, one might say. was dwarfed by the "big guns” in the shot putting world and he was below his peak. He did his best—and there is always the future for him. No doubt he learned much from his first Olympics. Little Miss Weigel looked determined, but she hadn't the antelope properties of the Russian. Polish and German girls. Mills finished eleventh with a throw of 55ft 11 5-81 n. Miss Weigel did not jump as far as she did in qualifying, and finished tenth out of 19 Her best jump was 19ft 7 3-Bin, compared with 20ft lin in qualifying