ATHLETICS

Southland Times, Issue 20012, 28 October 1926, Page 8

ATHLETICS

AMERICAN TEAM VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND DIFFICULTY IN GETTING RIGHT MEN (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, October 27. It is not yet known whether New Zealand will be visited this season by American athletes. • * In a letter received by Mr L. A. Tracy, secretary of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association from Mr C. G. Krogness, the Association’s representative in America the writer says:— “The matter of finding a combination of a 220 yards and 440 yards sprinter will be difficult. Our men are usually 100 yards and 220 yards men and 440 yards and 880 yards men. While there are men of course who would run 220 yards and 440 yards, I doubt if they would be champions or near champions. I think rather than your wanting champions you want some one who runs in a form from which New Zealand youth can gain sprinting knowledge. I have thought of a man who probably would fit well into the situation if he could be induced to make the tour. Whether he will be willing to be away for such a long time is problematical. It would mean that he would have to absent himself from Stanford where he is taking a post graduate course, for four months at least, even though he came right through without stopping between sailings at any port. William Richardson has nearly equalled the world’s record in the half mile and he can beat more star quarter-milers than can beat him. He also runs 220 yards very well, as he demonstrated when running that distance with Jackson Scholz when the latter was training for that race at the Pacific Amateur championship meet in San Francisco last May. Scholz beat Richardson by about a yard but I suspect that Scholz was holding back. However men who saw them training said that Richardson ran the furlong in about 22 seconds.”