The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-07-18

armed giant, Sandy Femming Their regulations
as giant athletes and champions of the hammer
as great as are the names of Flanagan
and McGrath.
In those days the hammer was fitted to handle
of seasoned elm or second growth of hickory Now
the handle is made of elastic wire, which in the
triple turn, within the seyen-foot circle, gives an
impetus to the hammer, when leaving the hands OF
the thrower, impossible under the old conditions
The application of the pneumatic tire to the trot-
ting "sulky" lowered the harness record twenty sec
opds and the introduction of the wire handle III the
hammer ring added at least fourteen feet to Don
aid Dinnies greatest cast That is to say, if Dinne
were now living and in condition he would beat his
own record fourteen feet.
The Irish and Instantaneous are the greatest
athletes in the world The records prove it. Let us
take few The highest recorded leap 6 feet 3-8
inches, is held by Michael F. Sweeney The fastest
hundred yards ever run by man since the world be-
gan, so far as we know, run by Arthur Duffy
and Dan Kelly In all probability these records for
the hundred sprint will never be lowered To
complish this wonderful feat called for such phen-
nomenal of electric energy, such quickness
of thought and action, such grouping and concen-
tration of alertness grit, nerve, sand" and light
ming speed, that unless the athlete trained to
the minute, and the heart in superb condition, the
Splinter would drop dead in his flight.
The worlds fastest half mile, / minute SO %
seconds has before it the name of Fitzpatrick (Pat
rick of the Church, Hugging the is that
of Koran, 1857; Burke of Boston. 81. and that
of Frank Cregan IS These are marvellous rec
ords The swiftest amateur mile ever run. min
utes Is 35 seconds, accomplished by an Irish
man. Thomas Patrick Connect, who also holds the
three-quarter mile record. the mile and quarter
and mile and half records
The Marathon championship Olympic games,
say twenty-five miles run in two hours and fifty
one minutes is held by William Sherring, an Irish
Canadian, and member of ST Patrick's Athletic
club. Hamilton. Canada. The Boston Marathon
races same distance run four years ago. was won
by John McCaffrey. An Irshman. Patrick O'Con
nor holds the record-24 feet II 81 nches-for the
running broad jump.
Notwithstanding is game for men of strength
and activity combined and here the men of Irish
blood excel the world. Here or abroad it is the
Flannagans Mitches, Kielys, Horgans. Barrys.
McGraths and their kith and kin who are masters
The present marks for both hammer and the shot
put are held by Matt McGrath and John Flanagan
Although bigness and great strength must always
go with the weights ceverness and technique are
as essential. Footwork. distribution of the weight
of the body and trained eve and hand enter large
ly into the game.
Martin Sherdan's cast of the discus. 1874 feet
inches, remains unbeaten. Sheridan. at Athens in
1906. won the shotput 46 feet inches sixteen
pound shot against the world. The running hop,
step and iump-49 feet 2 ID nches-was won at the
Olympic games by O'Connor, who also holds the
record, 36 feet 3 inches, for the three standing
jumps without dumbbels.
In rowing, perhaps the greatest oarsman that
ever sat in a shell WIS the Irish Canadian Edward
Hanlan. Bill" O'Connor, another Irish Canadian.
# he had not died prematurely, would according to
Hanlan himself outclass the world For three years
Haulan of Oxford held the diamond sculls'
Henly against all corners, and when he resigned
Louis Scholes, an h-Canadian won them. beat
IN; Europe and America.
The greatest all round athlete today, and per
maps the greatest the world ever saw, is Martin
hiely. The greatest living traner-expert student
IF psychology and temperamental variations of
nerve, brain and muscles Mike" Murphy. James
P Sullivan, president of the American Amateur
Athletic union, and John Halpin, manager of the
olympic team remarkable men in their depart
nents.
| might fill columns of your newspaper with the
names of famous Irish Celts, who in every depart
nent of athletics stand pre-eminently alone. Why,
considering the paucity of their numbers in com
oarison with the worlds population. they are such
successes | leave to you to explain. for
cannot! MALACHY HOGAN.
Chicago, July y.