Evening star., 1932-07-24
'D|DR|KSON LEADS
FOR VERSATILITY
Texas Star Has Talents in
Other Lines in Addition
to Track ProWesS.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

/
L. athletes are here-2,00O
strong or fast. And yet the
most remarkable athlete of the
entire lot doesn't happen to be a
member of the male species.
Her name is Babe Didrikson, the
girl from Dallas, who is the phe-
nomenon of the great pageant.
| There are two remarkable features
! attached to Miss DidrikScns case. One
is that any human being can be SO
good in so many branches of sport.
The other is that any human can
compete in as many events in one day
and still stand on top of both feet.
THE masculine race has produced any
i number CT all-arolnd stars There
was Jim Thorpe, an Olympic
decathon winner. foot ball player, base
ball player There was Barry Wood of
| Harvard who starred at foot ball base
| ball, hockey and tennis. We have had
more than a few who starred in four
or five sports, including Harry Fisher Of
williams who had a high average in
six leading sports.
But what are these compared to the
record CT Babe Didrikson? In the final
! tryouts for the women's championship
| at track and field she placed in 10
| events, wen 6, and ran up 80 points.
| She won track and field meet against
/ the pick of the country without calling
for outside help.
! But that Is only starter She is a
good tennis player and coed base ball
player. She Is a fine swimmer and a
brilliant basket ball player. Given the
/ opportunity, she can place in Is differ
ent track and field events and in ad-
dition in high class In six other compet-
tive sports.
| THERE may be some male athlete
i who can match this record. but !
have never heard the name. Women
are supposed to tire more quickly than
men. Most of the woman athletes do.
/ They haven't the stamina which men
carry to the field. Miss Didrikson has
more stamina than battleship.
She can finish an all afternoon per-
formance at track and field without
any sign OF whiting.
The Dallas athlete is a combination
of wiry strength and unusual agility.
She Is strong and flexible. Power and
witness arc her two main blends. She
is one OF the few women who can throw
a base ball like a man. She will be
one OF the sensations before the Olympic
curtain rings down.
CENUNG of Washington and Hal
! " lowell OF Harvard are the two
United States runners who face
the hardest assignments on the track.
There Will be trouble enough at the
100, zoo and 400 meter tests and there
will be little chance beyond the l,500,
but there is more than average inter-
do at the middle distances.
Ir 1924 and 1923 the 800 and the
1.5O0 meter races went to Great Bri-
tain and Finland. Douglas Lowe.
Nurrni and Larva The United States
was not even close. The British will
make another strong bio in these
events with Hampson, Thomas and
Stonely Finland and Germany will
be we'll bolstered also. And so will
Italy.
HERE is the class that Genung will
i ! have to face in the S00-meter test
Hampson of Great Britain,
Keller and Martin of France. Peltzer
of Germany, Edwards of Canada. Paw
eInari and Becalli Of Italy. Peltzer
and Martin have both smashed records
at this distance. 1t is largely ques-
! ton of coming back to past form.
/ Here is the assignment Hallowell and
our other l.500-meter men must tackle
-Larva and Purje of Finland. Thomas
of Great Britain. Lovelock Of New
! Zealand
1t is hard to say whether Genung
or Hallowel the two winners at Palo
Alto has the hardest test. The Brit
al, tx,I;z ~
with anybody He is rated as the
/ strongest middle distance man in Eu-
rope and he happens TO be in an event
/ where The British have always had
/ good men.
| Hallowell also has a terrific assign
! ment against the two star Firms, Larva
and Purje. with Thomas and Lovelock
/ Just about as good The New Zealand
camp is willing to support LOvelock, a
Rhodes scholar man, against any entry
in this race. He has run the mile in
Ala this year and is still further ad-
vanced at this point.
FORTUNATELY the United States
i has two exceptional men in Genung
and Hallowell, with Cunningham
supporting the Harvard star. Genung
has the speed to put on down the
stretch. and 1t should take new world
record to run him down. HalloWell. the
Harvard entry. is one of the best COM
petitors the coming games will know
He is runner who has been coming
steadily forward, improving week BY
week
Each of these races should be as close
eS $3.50. a toss un to the last stride.
They should be two of the most brilliant
competitions on the program, for they
are the distances that catch and hold
the attention of the crowd.
The sprints are over before you can
breathe again. They are like explo-
sions But the 400, 800 and l,500
meter runs are long enough to keep the
pulses leapirg for more than sudden
flash. Here are three races that no
one should miss.
They should be three Of the greatest
in the history of Olympic sport And
with Carr. Eastman. Genung. HalloWell
and Cunningham in action the United
! States at least has fair chance to re-
| gnin some of its lost middle distance
! glory.
At which point it is always lust as
we'll to remember that in facing the
pick of the world there is no certainty
| to bank on. Past Olvmpics have shown
too often what can happen.
! (copyrisht. 1892. bv North American News
| paper Alliance. IEc.)
EGDEMOOR NETMEN SCORE