Evening star., 1938-03-16
BENAT TOP SPEED
IN 70 TO 50 YARDS
Make of go Mark Another
Track Star to Overcome
Injury Handicap.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


headed, compact Negro from Plymouth,
Pa, named Benjamin Washington
johnson. It's hard to realize that any
man can literally hurl himself over go
yards of board in seconds, from q
stationary start. but that's what john
son can do, and does.
The rate Is 10 yards a second. Carry
the distance to 100 yards or 80, and
many sprinters can equal it, or better
it. The first so yards supply the
momentum for the final blur of speed
in the stretch. But johnson generates
his momentum in 20 or 80 yards. And
he doesn't do it by churning the
boards with his feet. He bounds
along like a kangaroo
Watching him, you don't see how
It's possible. To get start like that,
most objects. living or dead, must be
driven by a spring or trigger. john
sons spring seems to be inside him.
Or his power charge, or whatever it
is. At the starting signal he is off
as though thrown from catapult.
Six seconds Is about two breaths
and half. II you turn your head
away from the track at the start at
Johnson's sprint and bring it evenly
around again, you miss the race
That's not tip or friendly hint on
how to avoid sprinters. It's warm
Ing. Benjamin Washington johnson
Is worth seeing.
Some Scientific Points.
There are a couple scientific points
you might want to question Benjamin
about. One is the secret of his quick"
speed. What is the thing that cata-
pults him? Johnson's answer is: II
don't know" Then there is the matter
of African blood. Why have all the
fastest humans of the last eight years
been Negroes?
L don't know" says johnson frankly
Nobody else seems to know. A
scientist bobbed up few years ago, in
the heyday of Jesse Owens, Ralph
Metcalfe and Eulace Peacock, with
the theory that the Negro runs fast
and jumps far because he has longer
heelbone than the white man. This
made all the black runners very self
conscious about their heelbones. Owens
used 10 study his heelbones night and
day, until he lost interest.
Sometimes they look long to me-"
he said, "and sometimes they don't"
Jesse never did decide what his heel
bones, long or short, had to do with
his running johnson hasn't reached
conclusion either.
Il don't give it much thought" he
says.
johnson is one of those runners
they are thicker than weeds-who
should by rights be cripple, or at
least confirmed horizontalist.
Cunningham's legs were burned in
schoolhouse fire, San Romani's and
Bonthron's were broken in falls.
johnson was the victim three years
ago of a torn hamstring muscle that
laid him out for six months and
threatened to end his running career
Wins A. A. U. Title in 's5.
Before that, he got in certain
amount of groundwork for his degree
of fastest human. As Plymouth
High School runner he qualified for
the Olympics tryouts for the 1O0-yard
dash in 1882 The town of Plymouth
raised Ben johnson to Palo Alto"
fund which carried him to the Coast.
He ran fourth, in semi-final heat. to
some of the greatest sprinters of the
time.
Ben entered Columbia University
year later and burst into flame as a
sophomore in the winter OF 1934-35
when he beat out Owens, Metcalf and
Peacock for the National A. A. U. title
at so yards. His time was 6.6. He
scored a double in the sprint and
broad jump in the indoor intercollegi-
ates. He was trying for the same
double, outdoors, in June, at Harvard
stadium when the hamstring muscle
behind his right knee tore loose.
He was 10 yards from home, leading
the field, in the final sprint. The rip
ping Of the muscle threw him head
long to the cinders. johnson got up
and staggered the rest of the way on
his one sound leg, and the doctor
ordered him to bed. He was forbidden
to move at anything faster than a walk
for six months. 1t was generally con-
ceded that he was all through-which,
II Benjamin had studied the records,
was . pretty sure sign that he would
make running history sooner or later.
Reaches Peak in go"
In half q year, he was back in ac-
tion, jogging cautiously for mile and
: miles. He missed the Olympics Of
1885 because of cramped ride in
rumble seat from Plymouth to Prince
ton, which cost him his chance in the
tryouts. Jesse Owens went on to Ber-
lin to cover himself with glory, as one
Of what ol' Doc Goebbels called
Americas black auxiliaries" The doc
would have chewed his fingers of If
johnson had been there. too, along
with Owens and Woodruff.
Blazing Ben caught up with Owens
last year, and this year he passed
him-at least, he broke all indoor rec
ords. His greatest performance came
one night last month, in Madison
Square Garden. In his first heat,
johnson tied the world record for 60
yards with So. In the next heat, he
broke 1t. with 81. In the final, as the
pine runway smoked beneath his feet,
he did the distance in seconds fiat,
and called it an evening.
There is no telling whether johnson
Is better runner than Owens, as they
stand today. He has done 1912 for q
hundred meters and 81 for 200 meters.
He has run a 49-second quarter. His
style is different from Jesse's. He
moves In bounds, while Owens hugs the
ground. Both are great sprinters, and
probably they never will meet again.
=! Meanwhile, Benjamin Washington
johnson is your fastest human. And