Olympic Games in 1940

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 88, 15 April 1939, Page 3

Olympic Games in 1940

FEW NEW ZEALANDERS MAY GO It is not likely that more than a mere handful of performers will represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games at Helsinki, Finland, in 1940. A survey of every field, says a Wellington writer, brings it home forcibly that V. P. Boot and C, H. Matthews, both track athletes, and possibly H. Cleghorn, weight lifter, are still the only men with the

right qualifications. Matthews is making a splendid recovery from an operation and should have no trouble in making the Olympic team. During the season just ended Boot stood out among New Zealand athletes, but W. A. C. Pullar appeared to have a better conception of racing over a mile. Boot’s apparent lack of tactics in a mile race might prove his downfall in class company, but should he concentrate on mile running, there is no reason why he should not get near the world mark sst by Wooderson (England), if given the same advantages offered the English star when he set the record. Boot, however, is preferably a half-miler, and at that distance is in world class. T. D. Blewitt, of Canterbury, is an improving halfmiler and may soon be the talk of New Zealand. He has improved greatly in one season and a continuation of this improvement will find him a threat to Boot. Work for Olympic Team One of the recommendations which are to come before the annual meeting of the New Zealand Olympic Association, on April 26, as “That, so far as possible, arrangements be made for members of the team to engage in some occupation or study during their stay in England.” In a recent interview, V. P. Boot said that it was boring training regularly with nothing to take one’s mind off the competition. If the members of the

team could find some avenue of employment —follow ou their own work in New Zealand—and had facilities to train,.he thought they would do much better. What they needed was opportunities of competing against gooi* men, regular working hours to stop them worrying about their sport and not so many opportunities of thinking about how they were going to fill in the time. Mile of the Century Australian amateur athletic authorities intend to ask Glen Cunningham (U.S.A.), Wooderson and Finnigh and New Zealand stars to compete in the New South Wales mile championship in 1940. A total of £BOO was suggested as expenses for Cunningham and Woodersou. If the plan materialised it was suggested that the world stars would compete at Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The scheme, however, seems doomed to failure, as it is not likely that either Cunningham or Wooderson will be doing any jaunting about on world tours with Olympic honours in the offing. Cunningham, although ho has covered one mile on foot faster than any other human being, has yet to win an Olympic title. Ho finished fourth in the “Olympic mile” in 1932, and second to Lovelock at Berlin in 1936. Although a veteran in athletics, ne is running as well as ever, and has his eyes set on an Olympic title before retiring. This also holds good of Wooderson. He was unable to start at the 1936 Olympics because of a leg injury, but bis consistent running since then has indicated that he is Great Britain’s best chance for success’at Helsinki.