ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 5, 29 July 1908, Page 15

ATHLETICS.

The Olympic Games. At the Olympic games, F. E. Beauiepaire (Victoria) finished fourth in the semi-final of the 100 metres swimming race. C. M. Daniels won the final in 65 3-5 secs., establishing a record and beating Z. M. de Halraay (Austria) by a yard. Bacon (America) beat D. Murray (Dublin) in a heat of the 400 metres ■bundles in 57 sees., an Olympic record. Beaurepairc won his heat in the 1500 metres race. Battersby (England) beat Springfield (Queensland) in another heat. At the Olympic games Melvin Sheppard (America) won the 800 metres championship in 1 min. 52 see. Porter (America) won the running high jump, clearing 6 feet 3 inches. Both of these performances are Olympic records. At the Olympic games Kerr, a Canadian competitor, won the 200 metres race in 22 2-5 sees. A great sensation arose over the final of the 400 metres championship. Carpenter, an American, bored and elbowed Lieutenant llalswell (Britain) almost off the track. The judges broke the tape and declared the race void.

■Subsequently they disqualified Carpenter and ordered the other three to re-run the final on Saturday in tapes. .at the Olympic games, Taylor (England) beat Beaurepaire (Victoria) by 30 yards in the semi-final of the 1500 metres race, in 22 mm. 54 secs.

In the Olympic games Australasia beat Denmark in the first heat of the 200 metres teams’ running race. England .won the final, with Hungary second and Australasia third.

In the Marathon race, the great event in connection with the Olympic games, Dorando finished first, Hayes, an American, second, and Hefferman (South Africa) third. The race was awarded to Hayes because, within the Stadium, admirers helped Dorando, who fell thrice. Hefferman was awarded second, and Forshaw, an American, third. Dorando covered 26 miles in 2h. 54m. 465., and Hayes in 2h. 57m. 465.

The Queen has decided to personally present a cup to Dorando, whom the judges describe as the practical, though not the de faeto winner. Welton, an American, was fourth, and Woods, Simpson, and Lawson, the Canadians, next. Svanberg (Sweden) was eighth. Clark, the last of the Britishers, was twelfth, 20 minutes behind the winner.

Twenty-seven finished the course, the last one hour and 27 minutes behind the .winner.

Dorando states that he felt all right until he reached the Stadium, when he was overcome by the cheering. He never lost consciousness, he said, and believed he could have finished unaided if the doctor had not ordered the attendants to pick him up. There was a magnificent contest in the final of the 1500 metres (1639.5yd5) B"’imming race. Taylor finished 4yds ahead of Battersby, who defeated Beaurepaire (the Victorian) by a yard. They swam shoulder to shoulder throughout. The winner’s time was 22m. 48 2-ss. Battersby continued the swim, and beat the English mile record, covering the distance in 24m. 335.

[The world’s mile record is 23m. 16 4-55., put up by the late B. Kieran at Sydney in March, 1905.] Walker, a South African competitor, ■won the final of the 100 metres race in 10 4-5 secs.

Britain secured chief honours at the Olympic games, winning no less than 38

of a total of 83 events, and beating her nearest competitor, the United States, by sixteen wins. The points scored were: Britain 38 United States 22 Sweden 7 France 4 Hungary 3 Germany 2 Canada 2 Italy .. 2 Belgium 1 South Africa 1 Finland 1 In the second running of the final of the 400 metres race, declared void by the action of Carpenter, an American competitor, in boring and elbowing Lieutenant Halswell (Britain) off the track, Halswell ran over the course, the other two who qualified for the final, both Americans, declining to re-run the event. Smithson (America) won the 110 metres bundles in 15 sec., establishing a record for the distance. Cooke and Gilbert, both Americans, tied in the pole jump event, both clearing the record height of 12 feet 2 in.