Three Olympic Records Broken

Wanganui Chronicle, 4 August 1948, Page 5

Three Olympic Records Broken

5000 METRES AND IN 800 AND THE DISCUS THROW (N.Z.P. A.—Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, Aug. 2 The Olympic Games were resumed today after the week-end in cooler weather. Bank Holiday crowds flocked to Wembley Stadium and the pool, but rain early in the afternoon somewhat spoiled the field events. Three Olympic records were broken today—Boo metres, 5000 metres and discus throw. Tlie brilliant Czech runner, Zapotek, who amazed the crowd by his sensational victory in the 10,000 metres on Friday, failed gallantly in an attempt to do what even the great Nurmi could not the 10,000 and 5000 metre races in one Olympiad. Haanes Kilchmainen did it in 1912, but no other runner has since accomplished it.

Zapotek was second in the 5000 metres final. After the winner, Bieff (Belgium), headed him he made a brave attempt to overtake Bieff in the last 100 metres. Bieff and Zapotek both smashed the Olympic record of 14min. 22 l-ssec. for the race. It was a stirring race and the crowd roared themselves hoarse, their support undoubtedly going to Zapotek.

'rhe 800 metres final was run at a cracking pace in thick drizzle to a continuous roar from the great crowd. The Frenchman. R. Chef d’Hotel, led over the first lap but Whitfield (U.S.) raced into the lead at the bell and never lost it again. The giant Jamaican Wint challenged on the home bend and cut down Whitfield’s lead, but Whitfield won by three yards. The first two broke the Olympic record and the Frenchman Hansenne, running third equalled it. The American, Bourland. and the Jamaican. McKenley, returned the fastest times in the 200 metre heats. They both ran 21.3 sec. in the first and second round heats- Patton, Ewell and La Beach won the first round heats as they liked. Treloar won his heat by at least 10 vards and was easing up at the finish. In the second round Treloar ran a comfortable second to Bourland. The Italian Consolini, during the discus throw final improved his record of the qualifying round to 173 ft. 2m. Although the Dutch girl. BiankersCoen comfortably won tne women’s 100 metres final, the English girl, Miss Manley, and the Australian, Miss Strickland, had a ohoto finish for second, Miss Manley being a mere fraction ahead. Except in Afrs Biank-ers-Coen’s heat, all the semi-ilna'.s in this event were closely contested. The American, O. Smith, who won the pole vault with lift- Gin., attempted, but failed to clear 14ft. 5 r., which would have been a new Olympic record. Heat form worked out to ft actions in the final of the women s 100 metres tree-style swimming, when Denmark's 20-year-old Greta Andersen won the crown bv six inches from the six foot American Ann Curtis. At 50 metres Miss Anderson was lying second behind Mrs Christensen with Mrs Curtis third- Twenty-five vards from the finish. Miss Curtis speeded up with Miss Anderson in a magnificent finish which drew tremendous applause. America's diving superiority was shown in the women's springboard event and America filled first three places in the first round. The leader, Mrs. Victoria Draves, aged 23 years, is the daughter of an English mother and a Filipino father. Her husband was a former diving champion of midwest America.

The Finn Viitala was the first wrestling gold medal, the winner beating (he Swede Johannsson for the flyweight freestyle title. Viitala, aged 26 years, was a guerrilla fighter who operated behind the Russian lines. He is already European flyweight champion and lias never lost a competition bout A 39-year-old Hungarian railway worker, Babis, became the Olympic heavyweight wrestling champion by beating the Swede Antonnsson on points in a skilful but unspectacular bout.

Ilona Elek, of Hungary, today achieved the great teat of winning an Olympic title twice running- She won the women’s individual foil championship at Berlin in 1936 and retained the title today, winning six

out of seven matches in the final pool. The five-day Olympic shoot opened at Bisley with 49 competitors, contesting the free pistol event at 50 metres. E. Vasquez (Peru) won the event with 545 points out of a possible GOO. R. Schnyder (Switzerland) was second and T. Ullman (Sweden) third. Ullman won the event at the 1936 Olympics. He was also 1947 world champion pistol shot. The entire Indian hockey team is under medical supervision and receiving penicillin treatment following the removal to hospital of one of them with tonsilitis. The whole team was sleeping together in a dormitoryDIVING HOPE CRASHES. The American. Miller Anderson, a high diving hope, crashed from the high dive platform at Wemblev pool today and he is now m hospital suffering from contused lungs. Miller was about to do a practice hand stand cut-through dive, when he fell. He struggled to the side of the pool, spitting blood. Miller was second in the men’s springboard dive on Saturday.