SWIMMING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16288, 22 January 1915, Page 10

SWIMMING.

KAHAXOMQKU'S WORLD'S RECORD. Reviewing tho racing at llio first day of thi.' Now S iut.i Willis Association's carn.val, Jield in lht> Domain Baths, .Sydney, on January 3, Cecil Ileal v rites in tin; Referee as follows of Did;.' Kahanomoku's reroid-bieaking performance in tlio 100 Yards Championship: —

"Sixty-six yards traversed, ami not much jnore taiaii Ihe Duke* head in front. I was nonplussed. Has he detenorat. d, or is it that our boys are iii.iving us they have, never done fetore? were my cogitations. Remembering the Duke lacked a strong finish in the days of the Olympic Gaines, and not having Jieardi of his developing one meanwhile, 1 wa« just on the verge of conceiving tho idea that he was on the verge of detent when, like a flu«h of lightning, fo.lowed bv thunderous applause, ho streaked ahead, leaving the others behind as if tlio.y had been stationary objects. "Before the spectators had time lo recover from the effects produced by (he Duke's amazing sprint, another thrilling epis.de was bo ng tran act:d. Up to 'within 15 yards of the end of the course Cunha had not done anything fo confirm the exception, il sprinting abilities he had been credited with. At the juncture b;th Longworth and Harry held a slight advantago over him. Then ho a-lso loosed himself from the leash, as it were, and bridged tho intervening space. To such good purposo d d he along that, despite Barry's spirited response, he was something moro than half a length in front -when he. had completed tho prescribed distance. Two feet separated the old rivals, Barry and Ix>rigworth. Vociferous- demonstrations continued, as Stcdman, then Page, touched, but tho crowd fairly gasped when, a little later, tho winner's time, as taken by those many-years-experitn ed dockers, Mcs-rs W. T. Kerr, H. 11. WesthofF, and E. Price, was announced as 53 4-ssee, and Cunha's 55 l-ssec

"The astonishing rase with which tho Duke slid through the water, the remarkable absence of all appearance of physical exertion associated -with his mode of propelling himself, added to the snrightly manner in which he vaulted on to the pontoon at tho termination of tho race, aro a combination of facts that forces the inference upon one that it lies within his powers to negotiate the course in still fewer seconds. His stroke stood out in marked contrast to that of our swimmers' bustling, struggling style. The Duke keeps his head and a goodly portion of liis shoulders clear of tho element. His arm movement s comparatively slow-, ajid he places them in extended to their full length. His action generally has some resemblance to that of a man wading leisurely waist-deep. Ho moves his feet wth great rapidity, but as his heels do not protrudo above the surface, no splash results. The disturbance ho causes is very much the same, only on a smaller scale, as that mado by a propeller— th'it is to say, the water boils and bubbles. As a matter of -fact, there is no fundamental difference beiween his and the Australian crawl. The principle is tho samp. It is merely a detailed variation. Tho Hawaiian's leg act on is from tho hips. He does not bend his limbs at th' knees in the wav that we do, and ir.ste.id/ of a straight-up-and-down thrash with tno instep, he makes his fe't describe a eemi-rotary movement. Hence the screwlike effects. Cunha's strok.s is practically a fac-sim lo of the Duke's. Th? latter appeared to mo to be more intent on finishing second than endeavouring to overt.ike his Honolulu friend."