Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-17
GREATEST
GREEK Of ALL
SHERIDAN WAS POPULAR HERO
AT ATHENS
Personality Of Great Athlete Was
Marked as Physical Abillty-Has
Longer Arms Than Bob
Fitzsimmons

The greatest Greek of them all. the
man who won 6S20h points at the re-
cent Olympian games at Athens, is an
American. Maybe that sounds like an
Irish bull, but it is quite appropriate.
for Martin j. Sheridan, New York no
liceman and all-round athlete of the
world, was born in Ireland.
And Sheridan is the greatest Greels.
too, for he beat the descendants Of that
most notable race at their own snort
OF discus throwing, the one typical and
national sport of Greece. An injured
tendon in his knee prevented the Amer
lean from winning out in the final
trials but his record stands unequaled.
exceeding that of Georgantus, the
Greek champion, by ~ feet.
1t was declared before the discus
throwing began that no one but a
Greek could win this contest, and the
result of it showed that to be nearly
the case. Though Sheridan threw
magnificently, outdistancing all his
rivals, his throw was barred on the
trumped-up charge that it was not ''in
FORM" though the rules of the games
said nothing about this
The Greeks, however, were defeated
by their own cunning, for the judges
permitted the throw of a Finn, and
when 1t was measured 1t was found
to exceed the throw of Georgantus by
several inches, though the discus had
fallen far out of line.
Sheridan's Youth
Writing in a recent number of the
New York World, Robert Edgren gives
some interesting details of the Amer
ican champions life. Born i'm County
Mayo Ireland, twenty-five years ago,
Sheridan went in for athletics from the
start. AS a boy he excelled in all the
native n his ~
especially good at leaping and throw
ing weights.
Both his father and older brother
were famous athletes of the county,
and the early training that the young
man received doubtless had much to
do with his success abroad. He came
to America when still a young man,
and rapidly rose to prominence among
the athletes in this country.
He was among the first to be select
ed for the American team that went to
Greece last winter, and his glorious
record there shows that the managers
of the American contestants made no
mistake when they picked him for
their leader.
In Athens Sheridan was looked upon
as nothing short of a wonder, and was
made popular hero. In the practice
day before the regular games he made
his reputation by defeating practically
every one who came against him; and
when he finally threw the discus 1856
feet, after learning the peculiar style
of throwing adopted by the Greeks, his
fame knew no bounds.
GeorgantuS, the Greek champion,
only reached 124 feet in these trials,
which in itself was a remarka BILE rec
ord.
When the Olympian games finally
opened Sheridan won almost everything
L. To- h. cfn to- Izr.nO Il
jump he cleared 10 feet 2h inches, and
in the shot-put he easily outdistanced
all his competitors. In the standing
high jump he cleared over five feet,
and in the running broad jump he made
over 21 feet. Over IL feet won him
second place in the pole vault; while his
record with the 56-pound weight is over
30 feet.
In short, he is one of the most re-
markable all-round athletes ever en-
tered on the track or field, and his
record so far has been one continued
beating of former high marks. Still in
his youth, there is no question but that
he will achieve even greater triumphs
in years to come, and will break many
of his own records.
Just at present Sheridan is 'tresting"
on the New York police force. For
awhile he will leave track sports alone,
relying solely upon gymnasium work
to keep himself in trim, so that the in
jured tendon in his knee may have
chance to heal.
Occasionally he may go down into
the Greek colony in New York and stop
a riot or two, just to keep in touch
with the men he has defeated so often,
but aside from that and other police
duties he will take life easy.
Marked Personality
Personally Martin Sheridan is one of
the finest men in the world. He is a
thorough sportsman, accepting victory
or defeat with equal grace, and is
chivalrous to all. Athletes who have
been vanquished by him have had all
the sting of defeat removed by his
hearty handshake and by hearing him
say in his inimitable and soft brogue
Sure, and you had little bad luck
today-but you'll win next time. And
anyway, that was grand effort you
made at the finish"
His personality won him fully as
many friends at Athens as did his tri-
umphs in the stadium; and Throughout
his life this same trait of good-natured
sympathy has made him liked and hon
ored by all with whom he has come IN.
contact.
His physical aspect is no less pleasing
than his purely personal side. Five
feet eleven and a half inches tall he
tips the scales at 17S pounds. His great
arms have a longer reach than those
of the great "Lanky Bob" Fitzsinl-
mons, while his chest is perfectly de-
veloped. and his legs are like rods of
IRON Ever in the pink of condition,
his firm face, blue eyes and brown
hair make him an ideal of masculine
development, and in his field suit he Is
worthy of the finest models carved by.
the ancient Greek sculptors.