OPPOSITION EXPECTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26746, 15 April 1948, Page 5

OPPOSITION EXPECTED

AMERICA'S OLYMPIC CHANCES

ATHLETES FROM AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND N.Z.P.A.—Copyright LOS ANGELES, Apl. 13. The sports editor of the Los Angeles Times, Mr Paul Zimmermann,. says: “John Fulton, Californian middledistance runner, wishes to state that Americans may be talking over-big and over-soon regarding their track and field chances at the Olympic Games. There has been a constant beating, of tomtoms about the greatness of American prospects, and Fulton’s'is more or less a.lone voice crying in the wilderness of words about the potential prowess of the United States. “ Our worried friend, who recently toured Australia and New Zealand, feels that those countries are going to have a tough bunch of runners, including the half-miler, Doug Harris; the- sprint star, John Treloar; and the quarter-miler, John Bartram, to name three.” Fulton learned, about Harris by bitter experience. ‘“We went to New Zealand,’ he said, ‘ figuring to run ourselves into shape in the summer period. However, all three of us—Herb McKenley and Don Campbell, sprinters, and myself —were rudely awakened by the fact that all the good* runners do not always come from the United States and Sweden. “ ‘ McKenley and Campbell were shown this by Treloar, and myself by Harris. I had to run one-tenth of a second under the American record for

the 880 yards—doing lmin 492sec—and Harris’s lmin 49 2-ssec was still better than my time.’ You may compare that with Sid Wooderson’s world record of lmin 49 l-ssec to get the general idea that Harris can run. “ Fulton is deeply impressed with Treloar, who, McKenley thinks, might beat Mel Patton. and our other top sprinters. ‘Treloar toured with us for about two weeks,’ said Fulton. ‘ During that time he ran four 100 yards—each time hitting 9 ,3-ssec. All were run on grass, and two on wet, soft grass at that. What is Treloar going to do in the way of times if he finds cinders favourable to him? ’ ”