MISCELLANEOUS

Southland Times, Issue 19389, 1 November 1924, Page 14 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS

OLYMPIC GAMES.

Few more discerning and instructive com* ments on the Olympic Games have appeared than those from the pen of Dr R. J. Honnor, the Australian long jumper. Here is another batch:— The 100 Metres was a triumph for H. M. Abrahams in that he evidently got himself right up to concert pitch for the very day, and then almost at once commenced to go off. A tall, long-striding man, he is not very robust looking, and deserves great credit for the way he got through. In the final he and A. E. Porritt were remarkably cool on the mark, and this helped them tremendously. Abrahams has a style that could not well be followed. He leans over tremendously, and appears to “chase his centre of gravity” with his long legs. He used his arms in a short cross sweep acrosa his chest. A fairly slow beginner, he geta more pace from 70 metres, not by quickening, but apparently by lengthening, hix stride. C. W. Paddock, with his enormous thigh musculature, uses a springing, dancing step and is very erect. He, too, would be a hard model to follow. J. V. Scholz is th® nicest mover of them all. A small man, not tremendously well muscled, he is on® of the finest runners seen out at the Olympic Games. He appears to be of the nervous type, and is always out on the track minutes before anyone else getting wanned up. The work that he gets into the last 10 metres is phenomenal. Paddock in th® 200 Metres final, appeared to have him beaten, but Scholz “came through.” Paddock uses a jump at the tape which I think has been rightly criticised. One scribe pointed out that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Now', Paddock in his jump not only loses time getting ready for the jump, but goes further than is necessary by his jump through the air. In the 400 Metres Liddell outclassed them all. He “rose with the gun,” and the rac® is summed up by saying that he commenced his sprint at once. His is a style that could not be followed. He runs with his face pointing to the sky, and does not look the part of a runner. But he is six metres better than the world’s next best—viz.., H. M. Fitch, of U.S.A. Imbach, a Swiss, who the day before had set a record at 48sec., collapsed trying to catch LiddelL I may mention that Liddell drew the outside position, and gamely went to the front. In the 800 Metres we saw two good men in Lowe and Stallard. Lowe is a beautifully made young runner with a fine sprint, while Stallard relies on a long-striding, sustained pace and a heart of steel. It is hard to describe the wonder-man of the whole Games—Nurmi. Never, surely, has such a man lived. His successful attempts on the 1500 and 5000 Metres should go down as epoch making efforts that will live for ever in the minds of those fortunate enough to witness them. His is an action you might not admire. He runs flat-foot-ed, and with an arm action that is nos free.

I thought that the 100 Metres hurdle men were not good—none up to poor Harry Wilson’s standard. Certainly I do think that Atkinson, of South Africa, would be extra good if taken in hand for long. The 400 Metres Hurdles men from the U.S.A, are wonders. Riley and Taylor stand right out. A point which we do not try is to take the hurdle more at the end of our stride. We should step from further back. They shoot out the front leg straight, the body is bent down on the thigh, and the back leg comes over very smartly. Their heads do not rise from the same tevei a- Lea going over.