SPRINGBOK TRACK STAR

Evening Star, Issue 23146, 21 December 1938, Page 5

SPRINGBOK TRACK STAR

DENIS SHORE'S BRILLIANT EXPLOITS EMPIRES GAMES REP'S IMPRESSIONS [By Pistol.] News of South Africa’s most brilliant track star, Denis Shore, is conveyed to Mr B. R. M‘Kernan, athletic coach to the New Zealand team at the Empire Games, by Jack Gibson, South African marathon runner, who writes most interestingly concerning some recent outstanding performances by this great all-round runner. Gibson says that Shore scores treble wins nearly every week in League athletic competitions. On November 11 he won the 220yds in 21 l-sseo, the 410yds in 48 7-10 sec, and the 100yds in 9 7-10 sec, all in the one afternoon. A -week later he carried off the 880yds in Imin 57 1-lDscc, the 440yds in 49 7-10 sec, and the 220yds in 21 7-10 sec. At the Scottish Gathering; sports he dead-heated in the 100yds in 9 4-ssec. won a half-mile from scratch in Imin 55 2-ssec on a Saturday afternoon, and on the following Monday won a brilliant 440yds in 47 9-10 sec.

At the same meeting Tom Lavery and Klaasie Wessels also competed. Lavery, the Empire high hurdles champion, returned 14 2-ssec for the 120yds hurdles, and Wessels won the half-mile championship in Imin 55sec. Eddie Thacker, the Empire high jump champion, aiid A. S. Du Plessis, the pole vaulter, participated, being surprisingly beaten by Lane, an old_ opponent, in the high jump in which Lane set up new national figures of 6ft Gin. Du Plessis did 13ft for the pole vault, and was placed second in the handicap event. The following week he did better, however, winning in 13ft 6|in, a new South African record.

Gibson himself broke his previous Transvaal marathon record at these games on October 3, improving on his old mark_ for the distance by smin 48sec. His time was 2h 42min 28sec, which he _ considers the equal of his South African record run as it was run in the Transvaal, which is 6,000 ft above sea level, and was run over a very stiff course, much harder than the Sydney marathon course for instance. Arthur Hampton ran magnificently to finish second in 2h 4Smin 58sec, which was onlv 42sec outside Gibson’s old record. Hampton is a great runner, and has been showing good form recently in mile races, doing round about 4.30.