SWIMMING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 305, 9 December 1931, Page 3

SWIMMING

CHAMPIONS TO MEET THRILLING RACE ANTICIPATED. BOY CHARLTON AND NOEL RYAN. Those who remember the magnificent swimming contests in which Boy Charlton and Arne Borg figured a few years ago in the Sydney Domain Baths, are looking forward with similar zest and expectation to the meeting of Charlton and Noel Ryan in the New South Wales championships in Sydney on January 16, 30 and 23. Over any distances beyond the 100 yards and perhaps the 220 (says an Australian writer), this country has never seen races between two Australians as are likely to be fought out when Charlton and Ryan meet in the 440 and 880 yards championships. This can be said truly without depreciating the many wonderful races by past champions. The pair are hardly likely to meet tn the 220 yards, the younger swimmer being, perhaps, a bit too speedy for the towering Charlton over that distance. A Possible Rival. A third rival to the more noted pair la flashing on the horizon. He is Victor Besemo, aged 17 years, weighting 14 stone and over six feet in height. He is bigger than Cffiarlton and is improving so much that apart from 220 yards possibilities, he will make t hot over the 440 and 880 yards for them. Andrew Charlton, now 24 years of age, and in the region of 14 stone, looks very striking in his swimming costume. He is training zealously and looks like striking the wonderful form which marked him out as one of the greatest swimmers over his distances in the world, and undoubtedly the greatest Australian. Zealous Student Noel Ryan, not yet 20 years of age, and sft lOin high, weighs in the vicinity of 12 stone, with a chest measurement of 36 inches. He is a very sturdily put together young athlete, with a strong kink for the water. He has one of the keenest minds for swimming Australia has known among her stars. An openminded, zealous student of strokes and everything else appertaining to the sport, he is quick to learn and spirited as well as painstaking in praetce. In methods Ryan resembles Arne Borg. He gets through the water with a continuous speed crawL Charlton is a trudgeon-crawl swimmer, but more trudgeon, an improvement on the stroke of Barney Keiron, the wonder who cleaned up the world’s records for all recognised distances from 220 yards to a mile, shortly before he died in Brisbane at the end of 1905. Study in Contrasts. The rivals of the hour are striking contrasts in physique and methods, and all going along smoothly, their reaces in January should rank with the greatest Australia has ever seen. Charlton’s glamour is still bright and his admirers legion; but the youth will make him travel If both continue thoroughly fit, and are able to see their best form at the Los Angeles Games, interest in their doings will become extraordinary, not alone in New South Wales, but throughout the Commonwealth and New Zealand, where their powers are as well known as in their own country. Andrew (Boy) Charlton is leaving no atone unturned in order that he may regain his old form and gain selection in the Australian Olympic team. At the Domain Baths, Sydney in a trial over 880 yards, arranged to ascertain how his heart was standing the strain, the ex-Olympie champion, moving in seemingly leisurely fashion, covered the half-mile in the surprisingly good time of llmin 23sec. Of course, it was Clsec outside his best. But those who witnessed the swim say that Charlton left the water undistressed and undoubedly could have lopped lumps off the time returned had he so desired.