Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-29
us. RUNNERSSET
REMARKABLE PACE
Record for Century Equaled
Five Times in One Day.
Simpson Leader.
BY ALAN J. GOULD.
Associated Press Sports Writer.

NEW YORK, April 20 Op).-From
1905 to 1927, the record books show. the
100-yard dash has been reeled off In
93-5 seconds exactly ten times, with
Charley Paddock's name listed six tines
among the five sprinters who sha-s this
world record.
Yet in few hours last Saturday this
mark was eQualed no less than five
timeS-f1ve times in single day, where
the best sprinters in the world for more
than a score of years have been nlsle
to get only ten such performances on
the books. And the score probable
would have been higher if the mud 81
Des Moines hadn't slowed up Clau2
Bracey, the Texas cyclone, and ke.A
him from sharing the days sprint hon.
ors with Frank Wykoff, Charley Boraf
and George Simpson.
Olympic Failure Recalled.
It is a strange situation which now
finds the United States with four of the
fastest and greatest sprinters in the
world less than year after the Yankee
dashmen failed SO dismally in their
quest for Olympic championship laurels.
Percy Williams, the Canadian youth,
beat the worlds best at Amsterdam,
yet at no stage of his career has the
Vancouver flash touched the times
credited this Spring to the new Ameri-
can big four"
Bracey, under favorable conditions at
Austin and Dallas, turned in "a and
9.5 for the century. Simpson. on orr
afternoon at Columbus ran the 100
in 9.5 and the "220' in 2O.6 seconds.
equaling the world record He did 9.6
Saturday at Philadelphia, while Borah
and Wykoff each were doing it twice
at Fresno.
The mark CT 9.5 for the 400" Is the
American record, on the books to the
credit of Paddock, but it is not rec
ognized internationally because of the
ban put on tenth-second watches by
the I. A. A. F.
In other words, it will be necessary
for some Splinter to do 925 seconds,
without leaving the slightest room for
argument, before new world record
for the 100" is officially chalked up.
Official Mark Looms.
At the pace they have been going
this Spring any one of the big four"
may reach this figure under conditions
satisfactory to the record keepers. 1t
might be accomplished in the national
collegiates at Chicago in June, when
Bracey, Simpson and Borah probably
will toe the marks together. or in the
national A. A. U. championships at
Denver in July, with Wykoff added to
the field.
To man who has seen them all
from the days of Arthur Duffey, whose
famous 9 3-5 was wiped of the record
books by the A. A. u, down to the
present crop of sprinters. Simpson now
seems perhaps the best equipped for a
record-cracking campaign.
Simpson has everything" says
Johnny McHugh. the veteran starter,
who has fired his gun for great sprint
ers here and abroad for over 80 years.
He gets under way perfectly and
settles quickly into his fastest racing
stride. His action Is smooth, and re-
minds me a great deal Of Duffey
Simpsons 9 3-5 Saturday at -Phila-
delphia, after he had run three previ-
Gus races, was as fine as anything 7
ever saw. and have held the gun on
Duffey, Kelly. Drew, Paddock. Murchi-
son, Hubbard. Bowman, Borah, Wykoff,
Bracey and the rest"