Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-07-16
James Thorp is Best All Around
Athlete in World.
MARATHON RUNNER is DEAD
Portuguese Contestant Overcome by
Heat Dies in Hospital.
EVENT MAY BE ABANDONED
Managers Are of Opinion that Race
ms Now Contested Is Too Serious
In It's Effects to Retain
Popularity.

STOCKHOLM, July b.-America won
first place h, two of the leading events at
todays Olympic games, the 1,60o-meter
relay race and the decathlon. and second
place In the Soo-meter swimming final
thus scoring altogether eight points. The
total for the United States Is LIS points
Sweden added 10 points to its total;
Finland, 13 points, England points, Ger
many points. Austria, which won the
swimming event, points; France points
and Austria point.
James Thorp Of Carlisle Indian school
performed remarkable feat in winning
the decathlon and proved his general all
around ability as an athlete.
King Gustave at s o'clock this after
noon presented the prizes to the winners
Of gold. silver and bronze medals won In
the various competitions. The scene was
very brilliant one, as thousands of ath-
ietes from many different nauonalities
gathered in front of the stand.
Marathon Runner Dead.
Gloom was cast over the spectators
and participants today when it became
known that the only Portuguese runner
In yesterdays historic marathon race, +.
Lazara, had died In the hospital this
morning He suffered from sunstroke
during yesterdays race and fell out at
silferdel on the return journey. after run
ming nineteen miles.
The news caused great distress to the
king, the crown prince and other members
Of the royal family.
The tragedy OF this years marathon,
coming after that of the painful exhibi-
t!on at Dorando's finish In 1908. 10 likely
te lead to a change of rules or the
abandonment Of the feature at future
meetings.
Johnny Hayes. the winner of the Lon
don Olympic marathon, who Is coaching
this years American team, said regard
ling yesterdays gruelling long distance
race:
There must be d change In the time
OF the running Of the marathon- II
should be held In the evening. "A mara
thon il run As much with the head as
with the legs. The sun like that Of Yes
terday gets into mans head and he
Is fiot able to do brain work. The race
was, brutal under such q sun, which
handicapped the Americans and Cana
dians and the English and Swedes.
think the best man won. but at both the
stockholm and London olympics the
South African team had an advantage
over those from cooler countries.
Attendance is small.
Only a few scattered hundreds OF spec
tafors occupied the benches of the
stadium this morning, the last day of the
athletic section of the games. The pole
vaulting event In the decathlon was the
only attraction and that proceeded very
slowly.
Most of the people preferred to visit
the neighboring athletic grounds. where
the mixed teams Of American and Swed-
ish athletes gave an exhibition Of base
ball for the benefit Of those foreigners
who had never seen game.
An enormous crowd, however. gathered
this afternoon when the prizes were pre-
sented to the winners
Swimming and military riding competi-
The hop, step and jump went entirely
to Sweden. G. Lindblom, G. Aberg and
4. Almloef being the winners. Lind.
blom cleared IA meters rs centimeters
(4S feet 81 inches). Aberg and Almloef
followed him at distance of few
inches. Platt Adams New York Athletic
club, covered IA meters 9 centimeters CAS-
feet 81 inches)s.D Campbell, England, IA
meters s centimeters (46 feet ia inches);
Edward L. Farrell, Boston Athletic asso-
citation, l3 meters 81 centimeters "a feet
6A inches); C. e. Brickley. Harvard uni
versity, 13 meters IS centimeters (45 feet
s inches) and Whine, England. II meters
IA centimeters (46 feet inches).
Americans Lend in Pole vault.
Eugene l.. Mercer, University of Penn
sylvania, cleared meters 60 centimeters
III feet OK inches) in the pole vault OF
the decathlon today. James ]. Donnahue,
Los Angeles Athletic club, was second
with 3 meters 10 centimeters I'll feet i$s),
while James Thorp. Carlisle Indian school,
and three others cleared meters Is GEN.
timeters 90 feet s inches).
The standing of the men in the decath-
lon is reckoned according to the highest
number OF points aggregated In the ten
events. The highest possible is 10000. and
the leader this morning was Thorp with