Another Snell Record Broken By Ryun

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31084, 13 June 1966, Page 3

Another Snell Record Broken By Ryun

The 19-year-old American student, J. Ryun, led a successful attack on world and national athletics records over the weekend, when, for the second successive week, he eclipsed one of P. G. Snell’s remaining records.

At Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday, Ryun ran 880 yards in lmin 44.95ec, improving by two-tenths of a second the time clocked by Snell when he set the world record at Lancaster Park in February, 1962.

The previous week-end, Ryun was only one-tenth of a second outside M. Jazy’s world record for a mile of 3min 53.65ec. It beat Snell’s American record.

Ryun ran third for the first lap of his 880 yards race and then hurtled ahead for a superb finish. His unofficial time for the last 440 yards was 52.95ec, and he won by 20 yards. Ryun said that he was not trying for a record and "couldn’t believe it” when the time was announced. It was his first serious try over the distance. In a half-mile trial, two hours before the record-break-ing final, Ryun had finished second behind the winner’s lipin 50.9 sec.

On Saturday, Snell sent a cable to the American. It said: “Congratulations on a magnificent run—a real sur-

prise. Best wishes for mile and 1500 metres.” Two more records fell at Sacremento, Califortna, on Saturday. FASTEST 220 An American, T. Smith, who was 22 yesterday, broke the world record for the 220 yards around a curve with a time of 20sec. The previous mark was 20.2 sec, set by H. Carr, of Arizona, in 1964. Last month Smith broke the world record for a straight 220 yards with 19.5 sec. At the same meeting, G. Zsivotsky (Hungary) broke the United States record for the hammer throw with 235 ft lOJin. The previous best of 233 ft IJin was set by the former Olympic champion, H. Connolly, in 1965. CLARKE BEATEN There was an upset at San Diego, California, on Saturday when the multiple world record-holder, R. G. Clarke, of Australia, was defeated by the American steeplechaser, G. Young, over 5000 metres. Young’s time was 13min 40.2 sec, while Clarke clocked 13min 40.5 sec. Also at San Diego, J. Grelle, of the United States, won the mile in 3min 55.45ec, defeating N. Dughan (Britain), 3min 56.1 sec, and D. Bailey (Canada), 3min 59.1 sec. The fourth finisher, a California High School runner, T. Danielson, also was under four minutes with a time of 3min 59.45ec. Danielson is only the second American high school student to break the four-minutes barrier. The first was Ryun. In London, the 21-year-old

G. Taylor, running his first marathon, won the annual Windsor-to-Chiswick race, which also ranked as the British marathon championship. Tayoir fought out a final duel inside the finishing stadium with the Irish-born J. Hogan to dock 2hr 18min 4sec for the 26 miles 385 yards.

Hogan entered the stadium eight yards dear of Taylor, but the latter left Hogan far behind and was timed at 63.6 sec for the last 440 yards. Taylor only became old enough to compete five weeks ago. Athletes under 21 in Britain are not allowed to run further than 10 miles. Two weeks ago he won a 20-mile road race in the world’s fastest time. RECORD EQUALLED

A New Zealand resident record was equalled at Auckland on Saturday when Miss B. Matthews, the national champion, covered 80 metres hurdles in 10.8 sec.

Running to provide competition for Mrs A. Mclntosh, who missed Empire Games selection. Miss Matthews equalled the record in the second of two offidals races. Mrs Mclntosh’s times were llsec and ll.lsec.