OLYMPIC OUTLOOK IN SHOT PUT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18496, 23 June 1928, Page 7

OLYMPIC OUTLOOK IN SHOT PUT.

AMERICANS’ CHANCES CONSIDERED GOOD.

(By TED MEREDITH, Olympic Champion.)

Jn the Olympic meets of 190 S-12, the United States felt secure in the shot put with Ralph Rose, whose record still stands, and Pat M’Donald, of the New York A.C., to call upon. These two giants, each weighing more than three hundred pounds, were more than able to take first and second at Stockholm in 1912. When the 1920 Games came at Antwerp, Ralph Rose had died, and Pat M’Donald was well along in years. Pat still could throw a mean shot, but V. Porhola, a young giant from Finland, won with a heave of 48 feet 7 inches, and America lost this event for the first time in Olympic competition. With Pat on the retired list, it looked likely that the 1924 American team also would have to bow to foreign talent. In the meantime, California coaches were finding a lot out about the shot put. They had some big fellows out there, and they were fast, not the giant, lumbering types of Rose and M’DonaldBy 1924, California had developed Clarence Houser, of the University of Southern California, and Hartranft, of Stanford. In the East, Keene Fitzpatrick, of Princeton, had Ralph Hills, another big and quick athlete. These three went to Paris and cleaned up the shot put. Houser Good Prospect. Hartranft and Hills have retired from competition, and will not come back for the Amsterdam Olympiad. Houser is still available, but has not been as active as I would like. However, by early summer I expect to see him doing close to 50 feet, which will make the team. Virtually all the shot putting strength of the United States is in the Middle and Far West. Adelman, of Georgetown, winner of the indoor intercollegiate meet, is the best the East has to offer. He is capable of 49 feet, and has had practice puts of better distance. In California there are four shot putters besides Houser with records exceeding 48 feet. Gerken, California, can do 49 feet, Krenz and Hoffman, of Stanford, have made puts of 49 feet 6 inches, and Forster, also of Stanford, made a put of 48 feet 4 inches. Another Coast athlete, Brix, of Washington, has a mark of better than 48 feet. In the Middle West there are two star shot putters in Schwarze, Illinois A.C., and Kuck, Kansas City A.C. Schwarze has put the shot 50 feet, and Kuck has done equally well. Lyon, of Illinois University; Rinefort, Grinnell College, and Lewis, Northwestern University, have won events by doing 47 feet or better. This would lead us to believe that the four men selected to do the work in the shot put at Amsterdam will have to do at least 49 feet to make the trip. From Finland will come the same Porhola who in 1920 beat Pat McDonald. He has not improved his distance in the meantime, but is consistent at close to 49 feet. There is another Finn, Paavo Yrojla, all-round champion of Finland, who might prove dangerpus to our men. Yrojla has a put of 49 feet to his credit. Champion's Son & Contender.

Two other Finnish shot putters are worth mentioning, Jarvinen and Wahlstedt. Jarvinen is the son of a former Olympic champion. His father won the discus throw in Athens in 1906. The younger Jarvinen can get the shot out around 48 feet 6 inches. Wahlstedt won the Finnish national championship, with the others not competing, with a best put of 47 feet 6 inches. Finland has gone into the weight events with as much zeal as it has shown in the distance runs, and can lie counted upon always to have better material than the other countries the United States meets. The trouble with the Finnish athlete in many cases is that he does not specialise enough for competitive events such as the Olympics. The Finns are good, all-round weight men, but they cannot put across a win in any one event. Many of the United States weight men do more than one event at home, but are forced through competition for the Olympic team to limit themselves to one and put special attention on it before the try-outs. Houser, in 1924, won both the shot and discus, but that was exceptional. Houser, however, was an exceptional athlete. (OoprvirKt, 1938, hr “ Star *» and