The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-01-17

TRACK AND FIELD
ATHLETICS SHOW
RAPID ADVANCE
Records for Standard Events
Being Made Often,

NEW YORK. Jan. 1.-THE remarkable
advance made In track and field nthlct-
les by American performers in recent
years is strikinEly demonstrated by the
latest charts OF the Amateur Athletic
Union with the exception of two or
three events. the records show that al
most every standard contest has repeat
edly been bcttercd during the period
since the early eighties when the A. a.
u. was organized
The lOO-yard dash record was cut down
two-ffths Of second In a trflo los
than thirty years Between 1858 and 1918
Il was broken twice and no less than
eleven sprlnters participated In hreaklnE
or tying the time In the .s'.dhhh
four nfths Of IA second was Topped OF the
time In IA similar period, the record be
ing broken twice and eight runners re-
celylng credit for exceeding or equalliug
the previous clockiug. The quarter
mile event is one OF the exceptions TO
the general rule Wendell Baker ran the
4tO yards in AN seconds In 1856 ana IN
1900 MaNey Long reduced the time TO
al seconds fiat. Since that date no
sprinter has ever equalled ths perform
Rnce.
Lonooer Distances.
Coming TO the longer distances. the
half mile run has been hettercd twice, ~
seconds having been cut OF the time
made by Lon Myers In 1885. THIS time
was wered twice and four athletes are
credited with tying or breaking the rec
ord In the mile run SO seconds
marks the Improvement w. G. George
ran the distance In 1872 in al 2-5 and
IN turn Tommy Connect, John Pau
Jones and Herman Tnhcr each clipped
the time until at present II stands at
Az 3-5 The fiyV-mile record has been
broken three times and eqGdlled once
since 1857 and tho total gain amounts
20 81 2-5 seconds The ten mile run
shows a gain Of l55 l-5 seconds since
1886. tho record Of that date having
been bettered three times.
In the hurdle races / l-5 seconds marks
the gain over the 100 yard flight In 1871
IL L. Williams did IS as seconds and In
1915 II. Simpson established tho present
figures OF II 3-5 During these twenty
six years the record was broken four
times and tied four times At 220 yards
the gain amounts 20 full second. THIS
second was cut off by A. e kraenElein
In 1928 and has been tied twice, but
never beaten. The onc-mlo walk has
been improved 10 the extent Of S-5
seconds since 'Clnders" Murray htopped |
the distance In minutes 20 S-5 sec
onds In 1883. 1t was not until 1911, how
ever, that Gcurro Gouldlng the Canadian |
walker, heel-uud foed the distance In |
SIS and no OiI' performer has equalled |
those figures slr ~
FLED Events.
The field event also afford some re-
mark ble eInmp! Of the improvement .
IN athletic CONF tlton. Tho running
hieh Jumn marx ins been moved up 3 |
sis Inches since lSS1 when W. b PnEe |
cleared feet ! inches. Eddie Beesou /
holds the record nj present with G feet |
7 b-ls inches but In the interim Mike |
figures Of their day. thus proving fac !
tors In the climb Of the jumpers. The |
broad jump shows an Improvement n |
foot ~ inches In 1885 the figures stood |
at 2S feet ? inches mndo by MrlColm |
Ford and between that date md Meyer |
Brlmstein's record leap ot - feet. 7 |
y inches, the records were broken five !
tines by four different broad jumpers |
The hop. step md jump shows "A gain
Of feet pa inches between 1854 and
isil when the existing figures were es-
tsbllshed by Dan Ahcarn.
The pole vautcrs also kept raising the
bar steadily from the day when Hugh
Baxter did II feet inches In 1857 Mark |
Wright now holds tho record with II
feet 2H inches. but the original height
has been improved upon no less than
seven times and tied once. In the weight
events, II feet 81 inches mark the gain
between Quccltherncr's hcuvc Of 2S feet,
81 inches. with the 6.pound ball and |
Matt McGrnth's 10 feet ca inches made
In 1911 The shot put gnin amourts In
feet inch, having been broken six |
times In period Of thirty hours The |
discus throw was not established until |
1897 and the first figures were hold by |
G. II. HennemHn with lls feet Q inches |
In 1912 the present record Of llh feet qis |
inches was made by Duncan hut during |
these fifteen years the figures were i'm |
proved no less than seven times and I'm |
each case Martin sheridan was the ath- |
hte TO better his previous throw