Evening star., 1938-02-22

nave been broken since 1890 Yet it
does not follow that our athletic Hall
OF Fame" should be picked from the
latest list OF approved record holders.
OF our top 10 you will find the names
OF only four currently In the world
record books. to wit: Paavo Nurmi,
Alfred Shrubb. Glenn Cunningham
and Jesse Owens
The truth, of course, is that i'm
provement in method, coaching, equip
ment and competitive conditions
rather than betterment of the breed
accounts for the continual cracking of
track and field records.
Notwithstanding the contrast in
their times I do not believe the crop
OF milers IN recent years, including
LoVelock, Bonthron. Cunningham, San
Romani, Venzke and Woodersen, pos
sesses any more natural speed than
the pre-war group comprising John
Paul Jones, Norman Taber, Mel shep-
pard, Abel Kiviat, Joie Ray and A. N
q. Jackson. Nurmi, in my opinion,
could have shown his heels to either
group, and was in class by himself
the one runner capable of the four
minute mile"
Myers Most Versatile.
Nllrmi, No. in our Hall of Fame u
gave foot racing its greatest all-time
stimulus. Seven OF the world marks
he set in dozen standard events re-
main on the book. He set records
from the mile, in 1923, to the mara
thon, IN 1882. He revolutionized theo-
fles OF pacing as we'll as training, tri-
umphed in three Olympiads Gncludins
Tour victories in 1920 and exemplified
high degree Of amateur spirit, not
Wlthstanding his disbarment on the
eve OF the 1882 Olympics.
Many old-timers insist lonp-lepeed
Lawrence Non) Myers never had q
1oot-raclng equal for versatility. From
1873 to 1886 he won IA national
championships at distances of 100 tc
$50 yards. He set American record,
at distances Of so to 1000 yards. cap
tured four United States titles in one
day 600, 220, 44o and 500, and beat
the best runners OF England and
Canada on their own tracks.
In one blazing afternoon at Ann
Arbor, Mich. May rs, 1895, dusky
Jesse Owens won four Big Ten cham
pionships with performances that
caused his name to be listed six times
IN the world record books. He ran
100 yards In 81. 220 hurdles In 2o.3,
the 220-yard low hurdles in 22.6, and
broad jumped rs feet s14 inches. This
was the Ohio Negro's peak day, but
he cleaned up in subsequent title COM
petition.
Champions of Their Time.
Over q range of years as we'll as
distance the names of Joie Raw.
Hannes Kolehmainen and Alfred
ehrubb loom larse in foot-racing. Each
1ell just bit short of the Nurmi
supertouch, bat they were undisputed
kings in their prime. Shrubb once
held all world records from 2 to 10
miles, and was unbeaten from 1903 to
1909 at any distance until he essayed
the marathon. Kolehmainen, triple
~4J AAPAS WAA4AiCi 1Oi 1917,
embellished his reputation with a
long series of distance records and
victories in his adopted country, the
United States, before going back to
capture the classic marathon at the
1920 games.
Ray failed in three bids for Olympic
honors, but for decade the KAN
kakee Kid" was king of American
milers before bowling to the incom-
parable Nurni in 1928. Yet Joie
reached his peak that winter with a
<:l2 mile to tie Nurmis new indoor
record on q night when Paavo, taken
III, declined the issue.
Glenn Cunningham, on the records
alone, is the most consistent miller Of
I'll time. His achievements over q five
year period, indoors and out, have no
equal in foot-racing history The
Iron Horse" has run nearly as many
miles under 4:10 as all other COM
petitors combined. He still holds the
ofncial mark for the mile. indoors and