Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-06
AMERICAN TEAM
FIGURES TO WIN
SHOULD GET THE H0N0RS IN
OLYMPIC GAMES
PAST FORM GIVES BOYS BEST OF
SIX EVENTS
Seem to Hold Hurdles, Hammer, Shot
put, Pole Vault and Standing Jumps
at Their Merey-Fair Chances
In Other Events
hY cAEsTER LAwRNEoE

BY CHESTER LAWRNEcE
Americas chances of victory in the
Olympic games look very rosy just
now, and if the prospective competitors
Europeon countries are no better than
from their paper performances would
indicate Uncle Sans representatives
easily viii annex the point honors of
events in the English stadium.
Just now. to size up the American
team in a few words. it is the strongest
in the hurdles, 16-pound shot hammer
throw, mole vault and standing jumps,
weak in the distance runs and only
'.middling'' in the sprints, middle dis
tances, discus and running jumps, and
with not the slightest chance in the
spear throwing or walking races.
Taking the events in rotation, the
sprints come first. America has no
wonder for the 100 meters nowadays;
that is, a man who, like Wefers, could
give yards to his opponents and who
at once could be put down as a dead
sure thing for the hundred. The Amer
leans entered in this event in no way
border on the phenom class, and at
their very best only have a lighting
chance to score.
Calculating the possibilities from a
speed test, seemingly. the foremost man
on the team is w. W. May of Illinois
university, with his record of 9 AS sec
onds for the 100 yards, his figures for
the 100 meters being only conjecture.
1t is true that Rector, with his record
of 10 4-5 for the 100 meters, looms up
strongly. but then he has shown that
he is no repeater, that he knows moth
ing of starting, and into the bargain
is Of a very nervous disposition ana
apt to go wrong at any moment.
On his last tryout, Robertson of
the Irish-American Athletic club was
beaten in poor time. and in order TO be
at all within hailing distance of the
front rank he will have to improve
wonderfully before July 10. If Sher-
man Of Dartmouth college should round
back into his form of the early spring
he win show well.
cartmeII Should Win
After all things have been sized up,
Cartmell of Pennsylvania is the most
likely to pull through the two rounds
of trials, the semi-final and final, with
out having his colors lowered.
From Ireland there is word OF new
wonder of the name of r. ]. Roche,
the younger brother of P. J. Roche, tho
Irish champion sprinter. Last year
the youngster had a few airings, and
on each occasion he exhibited rare
speed, but this year 1t seems he is still
faster. His latest appearance was at
the spring meet OF the Queens college,
Cork where he was credited with 3-5
made no mention of the weather condi-
ton, but perhaps Roche had the aid of
a breeze. The older Roche has done
10 is seconds for the 100 yards, and as
both will be in the 100 meters at the
Olympic games the visitors will have
ample opportunity to get line on the
Irishnan.
On paper the really fastest sprinter
the Americans win meet is Knut Lind
berg. the Swedish champion and holder
of the worlds record for the 100 meters
of 10 3-5 seconds, made at Stockholm
last fall. That the performance was
genuine there is little doubt for soon
afterward, in the international meet
Lindberg easily defeated j. w Morton
in IL LIS seconds. Lindberg is speedy
also in the 200 meters, having done
% 3-5, but the best man here is Cart
nell, who should, bar accident. scratch
home in front of ]. P. George, the
Englishman.
Four Hundred Is Hard
Picking the winner of the 400 meter
event is more or less of a difficult task
at this moment. If all goes well with
Lieutenant Halswel the former quar-
ter-mile English champion, he should
be first past the post, but only time can
reveal whether he will be able to round
into form. He strained tendon last
year and had been absent from the
trial did something like two minutes
and two seconds for the half mile and
recently ran 400 meters in 30 2-5 Sec
onds and 500 yards in one minute and
II 1-5 seconds.
When well trained Halswell could do
the 400 meters in As 2-5 seconds, and
these figures seem beyond the speed of
any man on the American team. Were
Hillman to devote his attention solely
to the 400 meters he is the only man
able to give Halswell a chase for first
place. In his recent quarter mile race
at Travers Island Hillman showed
something lige' 40 seconds for the dis
lance, and that at least he could reach
400-meter post in AZ 4--5 seconds, and
these figures mean that Hillman is as
fast now as of yore. The tryout for
the 400-meter event in the United
States showed that Taylor of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania and Atlee of
Princeton university are evenly match
ed and good for about 40 4-5 seconds at
the very siowest. Both may do little
better in England.
Foreigners Not Speedy
Outside of Halswell the foreigners
billed for trouble in this race are very
few and these few are not known to be
very speedy, On the continent the
fastest man appears to be Bellin de
Coteau of the Societe Atletique de
record holder and champion and whose
best time for the 400 meters is 80 sec
onds, The best Swede is c. A. loren,
who has done 81 7-10 seconds, though
in last years championship K Stem
berg of Goteberg won in 81 AS seconds.
Exactly the same figures have been
credited to George b. Bank. the Nor
wegian champion, while r. Stenberg,
the Finnish record holder, is tWo-fifths
of a second faster.
]. Runge, who 1t will be remembered,
ran at St. Louis in 1901, has the Ger
man record with 81 LIS seconds, and
lie Belgian record is SO LIS seconds,
made by v Jaequemin. There should
be no fear of any stiff opposition from
the Hungarians in this event, as q.
Mestecky, the champian, has done only
81 As seconds. The Russian cham
pion, Paul Lidvau. is still slower, his
record being So Us seconds.
There Is not the least fear that N A.
Merriam. Chicago; ]. C. Carpenter.
Cornell; H. p. Ramey, Chicago, or w.
c. Prout. Boston, of the American
team, will fail to defeat the best Of the
continental stars.
Should Break Record
The S00-meter race is bound to be
one of the best contests on the program
and offers every possibility Of the
Olympian record being knocked sky
high. Several of the wise ones who
are good at picking the winners think
a with Ehappard fret r,Ia.a the m ne