The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-20
additional Sporting News
.UTAH'S BIG ATHLETE
TALKS OF OLYMP|AD

thLNU vi ULIWll lHU
CONTINUED From Preceding Page.)
Eugene Roberts Of the B. Y. u. 1t is
to this man that Richards owes his
success. Richards had been fairly sue
cesful in all the field events while in
the high school but had not met with
any signal success in any particular
one. He was not under Roberts tutel-
age long, however, before Roberts told
him that he could become great
jumper. This seemed queer prophesy,
because of Richards great size and
when the coach told him that he expect
ed to see the day when the big fellow
would jump six feet.
| Nevertheless Richards began training
faithfully and his mark gradually lifted
until IN his trial in New York, he went
| over at six feet five inches. He re-
eeived one discouragement but he
fought that down. He found that lift.
knees and that when he alighted it
weakened his wrists. He put on band
ages, however, and kept on training.
Had High Ambitions.
Richards had long cherished hopes of
trying for a position on the Olympic
team, but it was not until be did six
feet four inches in an exhibition jump
last spring at Provo that he finally de-
cided to try for place. Utah people
were glad to hear of his intention, but
with the marvellous jumpers he had to
compete against it was difficult to see
how he could gain position. For ex-
ample. it was only last spring that
George HORNE, of California, cleared
the bamboo at six feet, eight. This is
the most remarkable jump ever made,
and Richards mark looked low beside
it.
Richards held his nerve and when the
reports of the tryouts came from Chi
cago 1T was learned that something had
happened to HORNE s form and that
Richards had beaten him and would get
place on the team.
'Hurrah, cried his friends, "but
what will he do in Stockholm Horiue
vii be Elm in his is right form there and there
Liche, and both of these men will have
little trouble in defeating Alma. -
Sets Mark for World.
Imagine the surprise then when WORD
came to Salt Lake that the Utah Her.
cnles had not only won first place from
the world but also had established new
Olympic record. He had gone over
slightly less than six feet, four inches,
a lower jump than either Horine or
Liche had made at former meets, and
still he had won from both of them
This feature was never explained un-
til Big Alma himself explained it
yesterday. In regard to Horine, Rich
ards says the Californian is "circus
performer and that he is far from the
most wonderful jumper in the world. In
America slim cane pole is used for
bar and when Horine jumps over one
"riding the bar down. that is, when
he goes over he bends the bar down
but is so skilled that he keeps it from
falling from the pegs.
CAT the Olympic games. said Rich
ards, "they use a stick an inch and
half wide and held by very short pegs,
so that the slightest touch knocks it off,
making 1t necessary TO make an abso-
lutely clean Jump. HORNE was not ac
customed to doing this and he fell down
in his work. In the case of the Ger
man it was lack Of courage. Liche fs
the greatest high jumper in the world
and if he had bad some American blood
in him be could have won.'
Liche Lost Heart.
Both men had been having some trou-
BILE going over the bar as it was grad
ually raised 1t was finally put at 1913
ceutimcters-(the height at which the
event was won and the height which
and Richards went over on the first at
tempt This took the heart out OF
Lche and his three trials were COM
parativcly feeble.
When asked what event he considered
the best at the games, Richards said
that the s00"meter run was the greatest
event he had even seen. In that event
three Americans finished first, second
and third. Ali three broke the former
Olympic record and all three finished
within four feet of one another Mere
dith was the winner, He is a lad of
nineteen. and Richards says that he
will some day be the greatest runner
in the world,
New York Envious.
In speaking of his treatment by the
other American athletes. Richards said
IL could hardly have been improved
upou. He said, however, that the New
York athletic clubs showed some disap'
pointment that their men did not quail"
ify and during the trip Trainer Mike
Murphy laughingly told him that were
it. not for the occasional slams which
the New Workers shot at him that no
one would know Richards was on the
boat.
"Mike Murphy and Mr.. Sullivan
could not have been more considerate
of us, and we all love them,' said
Richards.
Nerved for Test.
"From the time we boarded the boat
until we returned. there was nothing
but harmony and good feeling among
the Americans. There was never q sign
of quarrel. and the kind treatment
and careful handling of Murphy kept
the spirits of the men up all the time.
There we're few cases of seaslckness and
everybody arrived well,
"Upon arriving did not care to go
sightseeing. but preferred to stay on