The Washington times., 1932-07-26
WASHINGTON TIMES SPORTS
i12 TRACK WINS
EENFORU. s.
IN OLYMPIC
BY HARRY COSTELLO


"The United States will be
mighty fortunate to win IL
first places out of % in the
Olympic track and field meet.
I doubt that the U. S. A. CAM
do it," o.
Thus writes a foreign COM
mentator. He is at Los Angeles
aS a correspondent for a French
newspaper. He is an experienced
athlete and a world record holder.
He claSSifieS as an expert. He
points out that Finland will give
the United States hard struggle.
while Japan. Germany, Canada
and Great Britain will help cut
down the number of places for
America.
! Americas coaches disagree, yet
as the day for the opening Of
Sthe Tenth Olympiad approaches,
various statements of Americans
abearS out the foreign correspond
ent's contention.
= Regain Sprint Honor
" Americas coaches first insisted
that this country would regain
sprint supremacy and have "sure
winners" in the 400-meters, the
shorter hurdle events, the high
Jump, the pole vault and the
,.6hot-put.
" However" writes an Amer
ican coach, who should know,
- civilians, of Canada, defending
champion in both SprintS, and
JOnrath, the German, may come
through to upset our sprint cal.
culatiOnS. We have all over
!. looked this Finn, SjOStedt, in
the shorter hurdles. He is
mighty dangerous. This NOtre
Dame boy, Wilson, representing
Canada, stacks up as trouble
some in the 400 meters. POrhOla,
the Finn and the big IriShman,
DR.. Pat O'Callaghan, are danger
men for Leo Sexton, in the
shOtput.
America has potential win
nerS in the 800 meters, 1900
meters, 5000 meters Steeple-
chase and the broad jump. Yet
in these events there probably
will be competition too keen
to assure us of first places. In
HempSOn we face truly great
SOO.meterS runner. In the 1,5OO
meters there are Larva and
Purje, both Firms, not to men,
tiOn others. McCluSkey should
win the 5000 steeplechaSe, but
here again are a number of
real competitors. There are
Nambu and Gator in the broad
q jump. Surely. naming winners
in these events is speculative"
This American coach might
have AIDED that Matti JarVinen,
Finland, is named as a sure
winner" of the javelin; that
America is admittedly outclassed
by the Films in the distances;
that America fears competition in
:" the middle distances; that Japan
Is figured as a "sure winner" of
the hop, step and lump; that
besides DR.. O'Callaghan there is
the Finn. Porhola. in the ham
her throw: that there are Nambu
and Gator in the broad jumps.
Surprises Common
After all, Olympic surprises in
the past have been common. Just
as an instance, in the 1928
games every commentator ac-
corded other nations no chance
whatsoever against Americas
three great hurdlers, Anderson,
:, Dye and Collier, and yet, Atkin-
son, of South Africa beat them
all.
r America topped Finland, eight
first places to five, in the 1928
games against IL to 8 in the
games of 1924. Perhaps America
will go back to the status Of 1924
and win IL first places out of a
possible %. However, the Amer
ican coaches themselves say they
are fearful that America might
not win IL firstS.
I Perhaps the expressed fears of
American coaches are part of the
well.known ballyhoo for the Los
Angeles games. Whenever the
outcome of an event is in doubt
public interest increases. In this
case, the track and field meet
should become the most popular
feature of the 1882 Olympiad.