SWIMMING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22065, 22 September 1933, Page 14

SWIMMING

, LESLIE OLDS’S SUCCESSES

WORLD’S RECORDS BROKEN. Since taking up residence in California, Leslie Olds, the former New Zealand junior hoys’ swimming champion, lias gone from success to . success, and during the past couple of months several local as well as two world’s records have been posted to his credit. He recently broke the world’s record for the irregular 250 yards distance, and that this was no mere flash in the pan is indicated by advice just received from his father that he has since lowered the world’s record for the 300 metres medley, in which he covered the distance in 4min 15 l-ssec, thus lowering the existing record held by Walter Spence by the handsome margin of 16 seconds. This race, which was swum in the Lakeside Swimming Pool at Oakland, on August 19, -called for 100 metres on the breastroke, 100 metres on the back, and the remaining 100 metres free style, and although challenged strongly by several of the finest swimmers on the Pacific coast, the young New Zealander scored a comfortable win. This is the first Pacific Association’s title to be captured by Olds, and, in addition, he recently lowered the association’s record for the 500 yards free style. Commenting on Olds’s win in the Dolphin Swimming, Club’s sixteenth annual Golden Gate swim on August 26, the San Francisco Chronicle states: —“ For 25min and 35see Olds set a pace that his old rival, Bill Egan, was unable to match. The latter trailed by smin for second place. Egan, who, like Olds, had two Tegs in on the three-time-win trophy, stayed with the fast thrashing' winner as long as he could. The superb condition of his rival and a greatly improved swimming form made the task a tough one. Olds, who has been touted by Norton Thornton, Stanford aquatic coach, as the man to beat in the Chronicle Gold Gate swim, September 17, certainlylooked much better than the writer has ever previously seen him.”