BETWEEN TWO WARS

Cue (NZERS), Issue 6, 31 August 1944, Page 6

BETWEEN TWO WARS

. New- Zealand’s first representa-tion-at the Olympic Games was in 1908, but it was not until after the Great War that teams of any size left the Dominion. Following the Armistice in 1918, athletes competed with distinction in tournaments at Stamford Bridge and in Paris. - Notable among these army runners were H.E. Wilson, J. Lindsay, J. Wilton, and D Mason. Mason carried off the. half-mile honours brilliantly, both in Eng-

*. Some Famous Athletes ■M EW ZEALAND’S record in the field of athletes between the two . wars is one of which any young country might justifiably be proud. Numbered among her best are an Olympic champion and several other athletes of world class.

land and Paris, while Wilson wort the 120 yards hurdles at Stamford Bridge. However, the team was" to bring fame to the Dominion at the International Games in , Paris when a new world's record figure of 3mins 30 3/ssecs was set in tho mile medley relay. This success proved to be the start of a new era for athletics in the Dominion. Teams were sent to the Olympic Games at Antwerp in 1920. Doctor A.E. Porritt, later to be manager of

the .New Zealand team at Berlin in 1936, ran into third place at the 1924 games at Paris, while Stan Lay, who was one of the three New Zealand representatives in 1928, set a new record for the javelin throw to win the English championship at Stamford Bridge. It was also during the 1928 games that Ted Morgan won the Olympic welterweight boxing title. _ ' The 1932 games at Los Angeles «aw the .New Zealanders competing without success, but it was left to J.E. Lovelock, at Berlin, in 1936, to give New Zealand its greatest hour of glory in Olympic contests. Not only did he defeat such world-famed stars as Glenn Cunningham (America), ,Ny (Sweden), and Schaumburg (Germany), but he also set new world figures over the 1500 metres course. 1 In retrospect, it can be seen that during the past 25 years athletics made great progress in all parts of the Dominion. Perhaps first on the scene was Randolf Rose, who established a 4 New Zealand record of 4mins 13 3/ssecs for the mile at Masterton in 1926. Then came the brilliant J.W. Savidan, and then V.P. Boot and CH. Matthews, whose recordbreaking performances at the Sydney Empire Games in 1938 merely served to. emphasise that .New Zealand is capable of producing stayers of world class. • In all branches of athletics. Dominion performances have shown consistent progress. Frank Sharpley, who annexed three Dominion titles at the championships at Napier, and Graham Quinn, whose performances captured

public imagination in the past decade, fully demonstrated that in the shorter distances the talent is still there. As . far back as 1892 J.H. Hempton, in recording 9 4/ssecs for the 100yds, ! had equalled the world’s record. When glancing through the records it becomes obvious that at almost any period of its short history, .New Zealand was able to produce an athlete of world class. During the past 20 years track conditions, and organisation have provided ideal environment for first class performances. In- particular, the public has been educated to attend club meetings, and thus athletes have received every encouragement. The period also . saw tours by leading English, American, Australian, and Finnish stars, and in all phases jNew Zealanders had the opportunity of studying the latest methods. < During their . overseas service Dominion athletes, under all sorts of conditions, have _ registered some particularly fine performance's. There is every indication that Army -games, on the lines of the .1919 meetings of Stamford Bridge and Paris, will be repeated and Divisional representatives may be expected to compete with distinction and success. Post-war sport should offer no difficulties to those responsible, for its organisation. While sufficient public support and encouragement are manifest, New Zealand can feel assured that her representatives at future Olympic Games will uphold the splendid performances of. past decades. ; : - • '