Evening star., 1933-06-19
NEGRO TRACK STAR
REMARKABLY SHY
Leaping Finish Gives Him Tie
for World Record in
Century Dash.
s..r r,orresnondent of The Star.

" high school boy in this city,
has returned home to be
acclaimed by his friends as the
newest fastest human" At the
Chicago interscholastic national
games Saturday Owens ran 100
yards in 9.4-tying the worlds
-ccord-22O yards in 2o7 and
made a broad Jump of "a feet 8
inches-all three setting new ma
tional scholastic marks.
The most brilliant American athletes
Charles Paddock, Frank Wykoft,
George Simpson, Roland Locke, Howard
Drew, De Hart Hubbard, Eddie Tolan'
Ralph Metcalfe-never achieved the
one-day triumph Of Owens.
His time in the 100-yard dasn
equaled the fastest ever mace py any
snrinter in history-equaled the time
~ Prank Wykoff that was regarded by
the international Athletic Federation
a supreme. It was two-tenths OF q
second faster than the previous worlo
scholastic standard.
TOR his 100 yards, Owens got on 70
Il A slow start, the only apparent
fault In his style. He dislikes start
tnr blocks, compulsory in the nationals.
-When the crack field reached the
halfway mark Of the race, Owens was
no better than fourth. And tnen me
ahowed the spectators, on their rect
now. that mad finishing surge OF MS.
He won by 2 yards going away.
His record broad jump was lncnes
behind his Cleveland City champion
ship leap two weeks ago OF "a 1eet 1l74
inches.
Owens was discovered in the junior
high school of this city SIX years ago
by Charles Riley, mathematics teacher
ana one time college track star. Owens,
a sober little 13-year-old from Alabama,
was a playground racer OF juvenile
repute. ord
teran six years of talking track to MIN.
Three wears ago, Owens began smasn-
INC city and State dash records. Az
the East Technical High School here'
where owens studied automotive engl-
neering and was graduated this month
with excellent marks, Riley snareo tne
teachine of track with Coach Ed Wen.
Riley and We'll brought him to MS peak
at exactly the correct moment.
ALTHOUGH Owens has turned In
"A records in every meet he has COM
peted in this season--in the IN,
door interscholastic, the Mansneio
(Ohio) relays, the Northeastern ONO
district games, the state scnoias.is .I, s
finals and the city games-he still was
clnurlU enough InaC
he reac ched his utmost speed at Chicago.
AS recently as five days ago owens
was being drilled on new style OF
finish a leap several yards from the
tame He used it for the first time yes
terday. We'll predicted last week that
this finish, If used right, would save
owens one-tenth of second IN tne
1oo-yard dash. They were wrong. II
saved him two-tenths OF second:
when owens left the broad Jump
nit at Chicago, he had registered ms
seventy-third first place, as against ony
six defeats, In an unprecedented hlgn
school career.
He lost two races as a sophomore In
the Ohio scholastic finals, and he lost
the other three last Summer in the
sen,i-finals Of district tryouts Tor the
OLYMPIC games, two Of these to Ralpn
Metcalfe of Marquette.
ITO those who know him from the
time he started setting records at
Junior high six seasons ago. tne
most remarkable characteristic OF the
how is not his speed but his shyness:
He has been rushed" by college
coaches and by collegians for two
years. He has had everything done 70
him that is possible to spoil youth:
But owens head never has been
s,,rned His only fear has been that ne
would let down his friends by not win
ming. He told q reporter three weeks
aoo. after q s.5 hundred at Columbus,
Livery night when I say my prayers,
ask God to keep me from getting
swell headed"
Although he has received flattering
stnvttations" from almost every major
college IN the Midwest, Owens has not
decided where he will go to college.
foouyrteht, 1898. by North American News
paper Alliance, Incl