Evening star., 1928-05-17
SEVERAL TOPRESS.
NURM| FOR CROWN.
Hahn, Conger, Peltzer, Wide
and Lowe Threaten to
Give Finn Race.
BY TED MEREDITH.

!. Famous Runner World and Olympic Champion,
y sfConyright. 1925 in all countries by North
American Newspaper Atiiance.l
II any of the Olympic and world
records are to fall in the Olympic
games, the one most probable to go is
the l,500-meter run. / say this because
1t has the most colorful field of all the
races. and is the one in which competi-
ton seems to be keeneSt.
In this race Paavo Nurmi, the great
Finn, will be called upon TO prove his
mettle, and there will be several conf
dent and eager runners to question his
title. won at Paris in 1924. If Nurmi
can face this field in his usual cool and
collected manner. he will 60 down in
history not only as great runner, but
rs great actor as well.
DR.. Otto Peltzer, Germany, is the one
runner who has beaten Nurmi in any of
his many distances, Peltser did this in
1926 in Berlin over l 500 meters, Eurmi
offered no abb. yet il is generally felt
he was caught of form. He had had
hard two years of work. and was trying
70 get some easy going during that Sum-
mer. After he saw Peltzer going away
he stopped his effort, and Wide. Sweden,
also beat him.
Nurmi win Be Fit.
Paavo will not be of form at Amster-
dam. No one knows the ability of the
men he has to meet in the I.50o meters
better than Nurmi, and he will be right
fer the fray.
Peltyer also will be right He told me
that when he was in the United States
last Winter. and right to him will
mean even better than when he scored
the new record and win from his
Finnish rival
Lloyd Hahn. hope of the United
States, says that he also will be right
20 try for Nurmi's crown. Judging
from the performances Hahn gave dur
ing the Winter on the indoor tracks.
very little polishing is left for the BoS-
ton A. A. runner TO do.
Wide, Sweden, is never TO be counted
out of this race until the final scoring
is done Wide is a seasoned remark
able runner. He ran the 5000 and
5000 meter races in the 1924 Olympics
and was beaten only by Nurmi and
BY Ritola. another great Finn.
Since then he has run some fast
miles. In the United States he ran
several mile races around 4:l3. as good
as Ha' n has done, and within sec
ond OF Nurni's indoor record.
Nurmi, Peltzer, Hahn and Wide are
four Of the greatest runners ever TO
run this distance. If not the greatest.
When they meet for the Olympic title
! cannot see how the present Olympic
figures Of minutes $50 seconds. good
as they appeared when made By Nurmi
IN 1924. can stand.
Locks for New Record.
Based on some of the performances
given by each OF these men. can see
no reason why the winner should not
better the world mark by more than
q second. Hahn's indor half-mile and
three -Quarters-o -a-mile records would |
warrant his running $500 meters IN |
3 minutes SO seconds. Eurmis mile |
record of 4.l025 is evidence that he
can beat ; minutes 81 seconds for
I.5e0 meters, which is about 40 yards
shorter than mile.
The race viii not be taken away from
other members OF the field who viii be
present. Douglas Lowe England. fourth
in the race in 1924, must be mentioned.
Lowe is older, faster and more ex-
perienced now. and has competitive
angle TO his makeup that Is hard 70
discourage. no matter how fast the pace.
he is sure TO run the 800 meters, his
best race and can choose either the
400 or 1900 meters after IL is over.
Just which he win pick / do not know.
but believe the I 500 meters would give
him better chance than the shorter
run.
w Scharer, Switzerland. was second
to Nurlni In 1924. beating such good
men as 6tallard OF England and Lowe.
EtaIlard had run a mile in 4:12A a
year previous / have not heard
whether Sctarer win run this year or
not. II he does, 1t is safe 70 say he
viii be n the thick Of It.
Engiands MiIerS.
England has two other milers Of note
an Ellis, present English champion, at
AIT, and Moore, who has beaten 1853
for ] 500 meters. This lis not as good
time as the favorites in this race have
shown, but those who know English
EnfIers know also that any one Of them
doing un6er 4:20 is a well grounded
runner and viii stand up under pace.
The United States has another man
% offer in Ray Conger. Illinois A. G.
Conger is coming fast and showed 1t
last Winter on the board tracks He
is resoureeful and keen for Olympic
facing. / have an idea he will fit into
the i.500-meter picture somewhere. He
won the national collegiate mile last
year In 4.l1s5 and since then has
gained a lot Of speed.
There are other good men coming
along. but they seem hardly up TO the
kind Of running necessary In the i,500
meters.