East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1920-05-04
SIMPSON SAYS U. S.
HURDLERS WILL WIN
AND MAKE RECORDS
American Entries in Stick
Event Pronounced World
Beaters by Present Cham
pion; Canada Has Strong
Contender.
tBy ROBERT /. sIMPsoN.)

(Track Coach. University of Missouri
Written for the United Press-Copy
righted, 1920, by United Press.)
In looking forward to the Olympic
games and the hurdlers who will com
pete. we turn with some interest tc
previous records made by both Euro.
peans and American athletes.
OF the European countries, the Eng
lish and Swedes will show up best in
the high hurdles. but Australia will
outrank either of these. None, how
ever. can strictly speaking be com
pared to American hurdlers.
Wilson OF Australia is about the
nearest in ability to them. He has run
: the highs in 15:1.
The best record that Swedish
hurdiers have made is 1852, while the
Englishmen have never beaten that
time.
] In America there have been over
fifteen men who have run 1851. while
six men have officially run Is flat.
They are; Smithson. Kelly. Murray.
Barron, Thompson and Simpson.
Worlds Record 14:3.
The worlds record, which is held by
Bob Simpson, is 143. He has run
14:4 officially six or seven times. and
TWICE.
The probable contenders in the
Olympic games this summer for Swe-
den viii be Levin and Hultin for Aus
tralia, Wilson and Kendell and for
England. Gray.
Thompson has just announced that |
he viii run for Canada instead of Am |
erica, and he will be a strong contend |
er for the honors.
m f0an M ,x,f1I
probably be picked from the follow /
ing: Fred w, Kelly, Carl johnson of |
Michigan Smith of Cornell Erdman of
Princeton Barron of Meadowbrook A.
C.. with a possibility Of new finds in
the coming track season..
In the 1908 Olympics at London |
Smithson of America won the high |
hurdles in | 3 flat, which is the present |
Olympic record. Fred W. Kelly ran |
them in Is 1-10 at the 1912 Olympicst
held in Stockholm. Thus, in order to
break the present Olympic record, the
time must be under 3 seconds. Upon
first glance. Fred w. Kelly of the
Unitd States and Earl Thompson of
Canada. are the only two men who
appear to have n chance at breaking
this record.
200 Low Hurdles Not Run.
The 200 metre low hurdles has not
been an Olympic event since 1904. If
It were, the American low hurdlers
would show their superiority easily
over foreign competitors. Hillman of
American ran it in 24:3 in the games
n st. Louis in 1904.
They will, however, hold 400
metre hurdle race. An American
holds the worlds record for the 440
hurdle race. which is longer race
han the 400 metre event. This rec
ord of 54:4 was made by "Bill'' Mea-
nix. This time is better than any fer
signer has ever run the shorter dis
ance of 400 metres. In 1904 Hillman
an this race of 400 metres in So flat
Possible candidates in the United
states for this event are Meanix. the
.oomis brothers, and Smart. all of the
chicago Athletic Association: Bill Syl-
'ester, of Missouri University. and
House and Johnson. of Illinois A. c.
There is wide field of contenders
hough and new men may spring up
It any time.
In the past Olympics America has
'lways been supreme. in the hurdles
md 1t is up to the present day Amer
can hurdlers to keep up the old-tim
tandards