Arizona republican., 1913-01-26
TED MEREDITH'S FEAT GREATEST
 ]. OF THE YEAR

WITH the outdoor track season of
 1912 finished the followers of ath- letics are on the point of discussing the question of which was the greatest feat performed on the cinder path during the year. Many think that flames Kohlemainen. the wonderful Finnish runner. who made & show of the worlds best distance racers three times at the Olympic games at Stock hoim won the distinction, but closer study of the years doings leaves the impression that Ted Meredith. the schoolboy runner. who smashed two worlds records in that heart tearing 800 meter struggle. with Mel Sheppard at the same games. deserves the fame of having achieved the greatest track performance of 1912. Not soul who saw that grand struggle. : in which three Yankee runners hit the finish line within one-fifth of a second, contests the statement that the 800 meter cham pionship was the greatest race seen during the progress of the fifth Olym- piad. Even the Englishmen admitted that it was struggle the like of which had never been seen before and in which every man that finished-no matter how far back-earned the title of champion. Whenever good Eng fish sport was greeted with a kindly saying about Jackson's great running in the 300 meter he would come back with, "Ah, but that 800 meters was finer race to watch and your men fin- ished one, two, three under a blanket. It must be remembered. too, that while kohlemainen went into the Olympic games a seasoned runner full of confidence and had previously trounced soundly his only serious rival ] in the distance races, Jean Bouint Meredith was yet but a green school boy. Three months before he had been absolutely unknown, and in reality had run in but one big race in his whole career-the 300 meter event at thc
 Boston tryOufE Q month before. Had l the 800 metcr race been run in single ! heat Meredith would never have won l the title. He said himself before the 1 race that he was at 8 loss how to run | against veterans like Sheppard. Braun, Davenport and the rest of the wonder
 ful field that opposed him.
 l In his first preliminary heat Meredith played 8 waiting game and did so poorly that he was sick at heart after 1 1t was over. Just before the semi final he said to himself: Well. here goes. I'm going out for all I'm worth. 1 If last I'll win. If I don't it will be
 all over in a couple of minutes" In this | heat he went a lot better and won in the clinking time of 1 minute 54 2-5 seconds. Meredith planned to set a l terrific pace in the same way in the
 final heat, but Mel Sheppard saved him the trouble by logging it even faster than Ted was fond of
 l To this day Meredith gives full credit to Sheppard for the breaking of both of the 800 meter and half mile records.
 and 1t is only right that he should do | so. Without Sheppard's murderous pace through the first half of the jour ney and the veterans wonderful strength in the stretch the Mercers- burg wonder would never have cracked
 Lunghfs mark for the fua half.
 l If Ted Meredith never runs another l race as long as he lives he has won 1 undying fame in the minds of Ameri- can athletic followers by bringing the ! worlds record for the half mile back into American hands. Though the margin by which he shaved Emilio | I4unghi's mark was but 3-l0 of sec ond, it was sufficient Three-tenths Of
 a second means two full yards, and to
 runners who travel the half mile under
 1 minute 53 seconds two yards is a big gap. The best feature of Mere dith's record smashing victory was tho l fact that among the foreign athletes 1 who bit the dust before Ted's marvel ous speed and strength was Emilio
 Lunghi of Italy. the former record holder.