The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-04-01
GRE CORY RICE PROVES WORLDS FASTEST HUMAN
Easily Bettered Maxi, New Plying Finn" in Three
 Mile Run
By HARRY FERGUSON Limited Press Sports EditOr)


 United Press Sports Editor)
 New York, April 1-(UP)-They'l be singing "Cheer, Cheer For Old Notre Dame" under the spires at South Bend today, for one of their boys made history in the greatest indoor track meet ever held.
 Five world records fell last night in the star-studded competition at Madison Square Garden, but the name that was on everybody's lips as the audience swarmed into the streets was. that of Gregory, Rice, Notre Danes chunky, Wiry distance man who ran the great Taisto Maxi of Finland into the ground in 8 three-mile race that brought 14,00O persons out of their seats, yelling.
 Rice had to break world record to do it, but two and half laps from home the South Bend Simeon took command with an incredible burst of speed and won going away ill the mercury-foo.ed time of 13 minutes, 523 seconds. Thus he clip ped 3.6 seconds off the world record of 13:55.9 which he set recently at the National A. A. U. games.
 Records had fallen like autumn leaves when the band played the Finnish national antk em and the Star Spangled Banner" before the s.art of the three mile race. TWen- ty-eight of the top track and field athletes of the nation had assemb- led to run, hurdle and put the shot for the benefit of the Finnish relief fund.
 The crowd had watched Al Blozis, GeorgetoWn's great shot butter. smash two world records when he threw the 12-pound shot 65 feet and the eight-pound shot 78 feet and 1-8 inches.
 There had been cheers for Al Tolmich of Detroit who had skim med over the 70-yard high hurdles in 8.4 seconds to better the previous world record of 9.2 seconds.
 And the cheers grew louder when Tolmich came back to do the 50- yard low hurdles in 6 seconds fiat, tWo-tenths of a second better than the world record.
 Big Four
 Shortly af,er 10 p. m. four men trotted up to the starting line for the three mile race, and this is what the customers had come to see. In one lane was Maxi, grim and serious, and standing off the track with a stop-Watch in hand was Paavo Nurmi, the peerless Murmi who is too old to run in competition now but who had come across the seat to encourage his countryman. Rice, one year out of Notre Dame and now running for the South Bend Athletic Associa- ton, was in another lane and the other two were Don Lash of Indiana and Joe McCluskey of New York. You could search the world and not find four better men at three miles. The gun sent them off on B weary laps of the track and at the start McCluskey set the pace. Lash was second, Rice third and Maxi fourth. They stayed that way until they had done 10 laps and then Murmi, looking up from his stop watch, shouted something in Fin. nish as Maxi flashed past. The Finn" nodded and put on brust of speed, taking the lead. At the end of the first mile it was Maxi, Rice Mo- Cluskey and Lash. At two miles Lash made his bid and went into the lead, but nine laps from the, wire Murmi shouted again and Maxi raced to the front with Rice moving into second position.
 With seven laps to go Lash tried again and got into the lead for moment only to have Maxi nail him once more. Rice stayed steadily on the pace and with only three laps to go it was Maxi, Rice and Lash with McCluskey hopelessly out of | it.
 Going Away
 Then the South Bend Simeon roared. Rice's chunky legs pounded the boards as though he had just come out for a 100 yard dash. He went to Makis shoulder and then opened daylight III front of him. Nurmi yelled and Maxi gove it one more try. For moment the gap between Rice and Maxi shortened, but the South Bend Simeon had just begun to run. He went two, five then 10 yeards to the front and was going away when he broke the tape. Lash, making a final challenge passed Maxi to take second place,
 So the flying Finn finished third, but he broke two records with the torrid pace he set in the early stages. He did the two and half miles in 11:4O compared to the pre- vious indoor record of 11:45.8 and he was clocked at two and three quarter miles in 12:51.9 compared to the previous record of 12:57.