New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-07-25

held in Tokyo. They aren't break
ing any worlds records out here, but
you can see that the athletes in this
section of the globe are making en-
couraging progress.
The records made in the games just
finished do not in most cases do the
contestants justice, several weather
conditions conspiring to cut down the
performances. Just previous to and
during the week of the contests the
weather was unusually cold and rainy
for that time of year, and on the
home stretch the runners invariably
had to face strong wind. 1t rained
nearly every night and sometimes
showers fell during the contests. Be-
sides slowing up the track this of
course cut the attendance in half. al
though about twelve thousand a day
paid admission. This may all sound
like tale Of woe. but even with
these handicaps the cham pionships
were an unqualified success in every
way, and they have done wonders in
arousing widespread interest in ath-
letics of all kinds. The length of the
track enclosure was limited, making
1t necessary to construct 400 yards
track rather than the regulation
quarter mile. This made it necessary
for the runners to face the wind twice
in the quarter, three times In the
half, and five times in the mile
The fast time in the hundred ward
dash is partly accounted for by the
fact that this event was run with the
wind; the Filipino who won this
race (Catalon) is a consistent per-
former in ten and a fifth seconds,
however. The high hurdles were also
run with the wind. Catalon is good
for twenty-three seconds or a little
better in the two-twenty in good
weather.
The Japanese had three big men
who had been doing good time In the
quarter and we expected to have no
trouble in taking three places, but
Ablan, a little Filipino, was too good
for one of our men and squeezed into
third place. Any one of the first four
men in this race can do fifty-three
seconds without any trouble If tho
conditions are favorable.
Kuo and Lee of China were sup
posed to take half and mile runs, Us
they had won first and third and first
and second In these races at previous
meet at Shanghai in 1915, but the
Chinese runners showed over conf
dence and poor head work in the
mile race, running themselves out be-
fore the last quarter. AS they began
to waver the Japanese runners put on
a splendid burst of speed and the last
hundred yards resolved itself into
pretty fight between five Japenese. The
half mile went about thes same, with
Taku, winner of the mile, again talk
ing first. The Filipinos are never
serious contenders in any race above
a quarter mile.
The ten mile Modified Marathon !
went as expected, five Japanese COM
ing in ahead in pretty fast time. The
first two men in this race also took
first and second in a special twenty
five mile Marathon later in the week,
doing it in record time for these
parts.
Five of the Chinese and Filipinos
had been doing around five feet nine
inches in try-out meets, but the take
off was rain soaked on the day the
high jump came off and five feet six
inches was the best they could do.
1t is interesting to note that the
Filipino who won the discus throw
was the smallest of the competitors
in this contest, being about five feet
three inches Tall. lie WlIutI Ol llo
shot put was far from being the lar
gest of the men in this event, and
probably weighs about one hundred
sixty pounds. BY this you may know
that some of the oriental athletes are
learning proper form in the field
events.
The javelin throw was one Of the
stunts handicapped by the weather as
the wind blew right across the throw
ing course. The Japanese and Fill
pino who took first and second have
repeatedly thrown the spear we'll over
one hundred fifty feet. Saito, the
winner Of this event. proved himself
an all around athlete by also winning
the fifty yard and one hundred yard
swims. besides being II competitor in
the pentathlon: he was the highest
individual point winner of the games.
In the pentathlon and decathlon
Japan was not looked upon to pro-
duce an athlete capable of taking bet
ter than third place In the pentath-
Ion events one Chinese and one Fill
pino were we'll in the lead of the other
competitors until the last event, the
mile run, came off. A Japanese took
this event by such a large margin
that it made his total score top the
list. In the decathlon the Filipinos
showed their superiority as all around
athltes until the mile arrived when