SWIMMING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19737, 5 January 1927, Page 8

SWIMMING

BOY CHARLTON RACES AGAINST JAPANESE. RIVALRY IN TITLE EVENTS. Sydney awaits another big period of swimming—as great and as stirring as that when Andrew Charlton met Sweden’s champion, Arne Borg, and defeated him in three title races. Charlton soon will represent Australia again. This time he will face the Japanese, Katsuo Takaishi, who made an unforgettable impression at the Olympic Games, and since then has improved to an exceptional degree. Takaishi, with his companion, Takahiro Saito, is renowned for his backstroke prowess. But Sydney will not see much of either of them until they carry out their brief tour of the country, comments a Sydney writer. Charlton defeated Takaishi at the Games. In fact, the Japanese did not trouble Charlton at all. But Charlton will meet a faster Takaishi Jjj the cham'pionships this month. AltCaay TaAaishi has lowered the Australian 200 metres record, winning easily a rare at Brisbane in 2min‘. 23 3-ssec. Then, later, at Ipswich, he reduced the Australian 220 yards record to 2min. 21 4-5 sec. The Australian 220 yards record had stood to the credit of Charlton. It w’as 3sec. slower than Takaishi’s time. Pacemaker. It must be taken into consideration, too, that Charlton’s record was put up when he conquered Arne Borg, who did attempt to set a pace. Takaishi had to make all his own speed at Ipswich. His opponents could not hold him or assist him in any way to record unusual time.

So calling to mind Takaishi’s splendid 200 metres, and 220 yards dashes, and also a very fast 100 metres effort in the northern State, it seems, indeed, as though he will overwhelm our sprinters. If Charlton competes in the 220 yards championship at the Domain Baths on Wednesday night, January 12, a much 'more desperate struggle than between Charlton and Borg should surely be witnessed.

Takaishi will have his first big race with Chariton in the half-mile championship at the Domain Baths on Saturday afternoon, January 8.

World’s Records. A swimming enthusiast, who has watched Charlton getting into form for the title races, predicted that the Australian will break world’s records. If ho does, Takaishi will not be fighting it out with him at the finish of the 440 yards and half-mile. At any rate, if Charlton is in anything like his Olympic condition he should defeat Takaishi, who, however, will probably stick determinedly to his task until he touches the finishing board—beaten, but never surrendering. Takaishi is likely to give Charlton a hard race in the 440 yards championship at Manly on Saturday afternoon, January 15. The distance is more suitable to the Japanese than the half-mile. His pace over the quarter-milc is unquestionable. Recently in Brisbane he covered 400 metres in smin. 214-ssec., which in the circumstances was excellent. Greatest Ease. Takaishi then had a bad start, but went ahead without any obvious effort, and won with the greatest ease. Charlton’s best quarter-mile was smin. 11 4-ssec., when he beat Arne Borg in the first race of the series at the Domain Baths on Saturday afternoon, January 12, 1924. Since his arrival in Australia Takaishi has proved a faster swimmer than Borg, who did not register times equal to those of the Japanese before he commenced to train in Sydney. Saito is also a force to be reckoned with. He is a superb backstroke swimmer, and will probably show the way to the majority of our free-style sprinters. Saito is acknowledged as a good free-style performer, and though lacking the speed of a world’s champion, he has sufficient pace to make him invaluable to our best sprinters. Charlton is undergoing a preparation for the races with Takaishi most methodically. He even rises long before breakfast to have a spin over a couple of hundred metres.

Charlton was always furtive about his training. Anybody associated with him w’hile he was getting ready kept the secret.

It will, therefore, hardly be a surprise to those who know the champion well if he puts up remarkably fine figures, possibly new world’s records, in the quarter-mile and half-mile championships of New South Wales.