OLYMPIC STANDARD IN FIELD EVENTS

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6841, 23 April 1932, Page 13

OLYMPIC STANDARD IN FIELD EVENTS

A Minimum 01 Ability Set For British Athletes

The British Olympic Council has decided that only athletes up to the standard of the sixth man at the Olympic Games at Amsterdam in 1928 shall he taken to Los Angeles next August. There may, however, be some exceptions. If such exceptions arc not made it looks as if British field events men will have to stay at home. Performances by sixth men at Amsterdam were as follows:—Shot, 48ft 2in; hammer, 153 ft sin: discus, 144 ft 94in; javelin, 207 ft 4 3-Bin; high jump, 6ft 2jin; long jump, 24ft 1 Ain; pole vault, 12ft DAin; and hop, step and jump, 48ft 1-Jin. Even that high standard of performance will hardly entitle an athlete to hope to score a p.oint for sixth place at Eos Angeles. Since 1928 three men have beaten 52ft with the shot, and six others 504 ft; two hammer-throwers have done better than 180 ft and another 10,'have bettered 160 ft; the discus record has gone up to 163 ft BJin, and nearly two men have bettered 160 ft; the discus record has gone up to 163 ft SJin; and nearly two dozen men have beaten 150 ft; the javelin record now stands at a fraction under 240 ft, and 210 ft is often beaten. Of the high jumpers, one has failed to clear 6ft Sin by one-eighth of an inch, another has cleared 6ft _7Jin, and three more 6ft 6in; the long jump record has improved to 26ft 0 l-Bin and 26fl 1 l-Bin, and 10 others have beaten 25ft; two polc-vaultcrs have cleared 14ft and 10 more have beaten 134 ft. In one event alone is Great Britain up to the required “sixth man 1928” standard, G. Turner, E. IE Bradhrooke and W. A. Land all having cleared 6ft Jin in the high jump. The rest of Great Britain’s field events men are out of sight of Olympic standards.