JAPAN'S OLYMPIC SUCCESS

Evening Star, Issue 21220, 29 September 1932, Page 11

JAPAN'S OLYMPIC SUCCESS

; LESSON TO THE SPORTING WORLD : Japan's domination of the men’s swimming events at Los Angeles was one of the mysteries of the Olympic • Games (says the ‘ Sporting Globe ’). 1 Harry Hay, who was with the Australian team and coached “ Boy ” Charlton, said on his return that the men of the East resorted to the nse of oxygen. A quite diheront angle on the matter was taken by Lou Handley, the coach of the United States Olympic team, in convorsatioh with Grantland Bice, the well-known American sports writer. “ Japan’s improvement began at Amsterdam four years ago,” remarked Handley. “ There the Japanese talked with the leading swimming coaches of the world. They took pictures of every known stylo. They took these pictures back to Japan, and submitted them to expert engineers and such who could work out the best methods for a winning stroke. “ The best methods were selected and then passed along to young boys of 10, 11, and 12 years of age. They wore trained along these lines, giving hours each day to the work of perfecting a winning combination. “ The result was this; the Japanese used our own stroke much better than we did. “ In Eitamura and other school hoys they had swimmers who could outclass anyone we had. It was the triumph of patience, of instruction, and of training. If they stick to this 1 can’t see how anyone will ever beat them, for I doubt that another race has enough patience to figure four and even eight years ahead.” Grantland Rice adds: The same may be true of rowing in the years to come. Japanese photographerp took pictures of the California crew, the Italian, Canadian, and British eights. These pictures were taken from every angle. They will be taken back to Japan and submitted to experts. The best system of rowing, of stroking will be figured out. When this system is finally agreed upon Japan will then train its younger oarsmen along winning lines. They will go into longer, harder training than any other nation, for they have greater patience. And they have their full share of competitive gamoncss and coolness and smartness. For years the United States has been charged with taking its sport too seriously. - .Japan can give us lessons in this line. Their angle is that if sport is worth while, then winning is worth while. If yon are going into something, why ho content with second or third place? Why nut try to bo the best at whatever you tackle? Japan made a remarkable showing in the recent Olympics. She won the hop, step, and jump, ami finished second in the pole vault. Two of their Marathon runners wore among the first pack to finish, ahead of any American. Japan cleaned up in the water, finishing in at least two events. It was Baron Nishi who won the hardest of all the equestrian tests—the Brix dos Nations, with eighteen terrific obstacles that included nineteen jumps. The ihig of the Bising Sim was outlined against the deep blue of Southern California's sky in a steady silhouette.