San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-16
POSSIBLE j. s,
WILL NOT WIN
I. IN 0LYMP les
Many Think Notion Prepos-
ferrous But Opposition
Dangerous.
FINLAND IS A THREAT
Little North European
Country Has Athletes to
Put Over Win.

Copyright by The San Antonio Light.
New York, March 15.-Is there a
chance that some country other than
the United States may win the 1924
Olympiad? There is. Some think
it is not bad chance either.
Many persons who, are interested in
sports insofar as they provide thrill
ing competition, but are unfamiliar
with underlying facts and trends Of
various. sorts, may be surprised to
hear this.
As they view it, the United States
always has won the track and field
games at the Olympics and will con-
tinue to do so. Thus, the great handi-
cap placed upon us by the results of
the winter sports at Chamonix and de-
feats that will come in other branches
OF sport with which we are not very
familiar will be made up and our pres
tige will remain unimpaired.
Sad to say, there is no certainty as
to this.
The outcome of the winter sports
last month gave Norway the amazing
total of 134 1-2 points. Nevertheless,
Norway is not to be regarded as a
dangerous customer Paris. A lot of
the points going to make up the big
total earned by the Norwegians were
won in the ski events in which the
nOrtherners excel.
Finland Real Danger.
Little Finland, with her 76 IL
points gained at Chamonix, however,
will be real danger because she will
come to Paris with a selected band
OF some 40 athletes, number which
includes all the specialists who in the
1870 Olympiad gathered as many first
places as the American team gathered
to wit, nine.
1T is quite possible that Finland
might next summer win the honor of
excelling the United States in the num-
Der of first places, and, il the COM
petition with Great Britain, France,
Italy and Sweden is as strong as it
now seems likely to be, the American
team might conceivably be Obliged to
yield first victory to the sturdy Fin
landers.
Certainly Finland is going to do a
lot of scoring in the distance events
and in the field specialties. At dis
tances running upward from 1900
meters, the Firms, with the valuable
assistance of Willie Ritola, will pile up
many points. They even look for
something to come out of their recent
improvement in relay racing, while in
the pentathlon, the discus and the
javelin everyone comedies them to be
most formidable. Americans will re-
cognize not only Ritola but Hannes
kolehmainen and Villar Kyronen, both
of whom ran in this country for sew
eral years and perfected their form.
They are strong prospects in the
marathon, which. by the way, Koleh-
mainen won in 1920.
Must Win Track and Field.
If we expect to WIN the Olympics
we must win the track and field fea-
ture at Colonies; for. while we are
qualified to capture first places in a
lot of sports such as tennis, golf. box
ing and so on, our habit Of specialize
ing, developing stars at the expense of |
the general field, puts us in sorry
plight as concerns the winning of sec
onds and thirds. 1t is here that other
nations may beat us despite the eff
forts of our champions.
just at present the United States
stands in fourth place in the Olympic
standing, the result of the winter
sports program.