A FAST MILE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 714, 18 March 1933, Page 13

A FAST MILE.

A Classic Field in New York Indoor Sports. Glen Cunningham continues to be a Nemesis to Gene Venzke. Before a record crowd of 17,000 at the Millrose games in Madison Square Gardens, on February 4, the wiry Kansan who beat Venzke for a place in the American Olympic team last year, gave the Penn freshman his first defeat indoors since 1931 by winning the Rodman Wanamaker mile in 4min 13sec. The shadow of his Californian failure seemed to envelop the mighty Venzke. When Cunningham made his bid with one lap to go, the devastating sprint that had given Venzke an unbeaten season and a 4min lOsec mile a year ago, was missing. So much so, in fact, that the throng sat silent in tense expectancy for the drive that never came. When Cunningham took the lead, Venzke very properly slipped in behind him to be ready to sprint in the back stretch. The rest of the field was outdistanced. This was a duel between the man who had raced the fastest indoor mile ever run in America and the one who had run the fastest outdoor mile. In the back stretch Cunningham’was labouring and the smoothness had vanished from his stride. Venzke was only two yards back with a halflap to go. In a gallant but abortive bid Venzke started to move up, but he could not make it. For ten yards he made a vain effort to cut down the Kansan’s lead. Just as he started to round the final surve Cunningham applied more drive and steadily pulled away. Farther and farther he advanced, until he snapped the tape eight yards in the van. Vanzke was beaten, but he sprinted on to the end. There was no dispirited slowing down after the race was lost.