SHORT PREPARATION.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20477, 1 December 1934, Page 13

SHORT PREPARATION.

Eddie Tolan and World Sprints Title. (Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, This Day. Bound for Melbourne where he will compete in the Centenary world’s professional sprint championship in March next. Eddie Tolan, the coloured American champion, is a through passenger by the liner Monterey, which arrived at Auckland from Los Angeles yesterday morning. Tolan, who has been described as “ the fastest human living,” was among the outstanding competitors at the Olympic Games in 1932, winning for the United States the 100 metres in 10 3-10 sec and the 200 metres in 21 l-osec. He is also the holder of the international amateur record for 100 yards of 9Jsec. He turned professional a few weeks before leaving America. The world’s sprint championship will be contested over four distances—7s, 100, 130 and 220 yards. The races will be held on specially prepared tracks at the Exhibition Oval on March 5 and 12. Since the Olympiad, Tolan has not done much running. His principal opponents will be the Victorian, Austin Robertson, and W. M’Farlane, the famous Scotsman. The latter broke “ evens ” when victorious in the Edinburgh Handicap (Powderhall) in 1933, his time being 121 sec for the 130 yards. One thing troubling Tolan at present is the fact that he will only have eighteen days to get ready for his opening race in Melbourne, although he had been assured that he would have three weeks. He is anxious to create a favourable impression in a country which has earned a name foi good sportsmanship. He did not venture an opinion as to -whether he could quickly accustom himself to racing on a grass track instead of a cinder track, although, as he said, his ability to beat great athletes like M’Farlane and Robertson will depend greatly on the form he can produce on the grass.