Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-02
Frastad Clips Record;
u. 5. Star Sets Pace
In Figure Skating
By Ted Smits

81. MOft1II, SWltzerla0u, Fen.
I2.-Norway rode its speed skating
supremacy into the unoficial lead
Of the fifth Winter Olympic Games
today while American hopes of q
championship rose with a MASTER
full figure skating performance by
young Richard Button Of Engle-
wood, N. j.
Unofficial computations gave the
18-year-old Button, holder of the
European championship, lead over
Hans Gerschwiler, Switzerland,s
highly rated world titlist, at the
end of the mems compulsory figure
skating tests.
Now the contestants move into
the free skating trials where Button
is regarded to have no superior In
amateur ranks.
Figure skating experts felt II
Button could come through the COM
pulsory division close to the top
he could win the Olympics title on
the strength Of his free skating
skill.
Other u. s. Setbacks.
America suffered setbacks In most
OF the other events on the fourth
days program. Fifteen-year-old
Andrea Mead of Rutland, VT, given
good chance in the women's down.
hill ski race, fell into a snow pocket
and finished far back in the field.
Norway won its third straight
speed skating championship when
Sverre Farstad streaked to victory
in the 1,500-meter race in minutes
17.6 seconds, an Olympic record.
The United States was able toI
pick up only one point in this event.
Johnny Werket' of Minneapolis,
turning in what he called his great
est performance" came home sixth
in 2:20.2.
The Americans finished far out of
the running in both the mems and
women's downhill ski races.
Olympics Record Broken.
In duplicating the victories that
teammates Reidar Liaklev and Finn
Helgesen scored in the 5,000-meter
(3Hs miles, and 500-meter (1s mile)
tests, Farstad clipped almost two
seconds off the Olympic record
2:192 set by Norway's Charles
Martisen in 1896.
Another Norwegian, Odd Lund-
berg, railway employe, also bettered
the record in 2:18.9 to finish behind
AXE Seyfffarth of Sweden, whose
mark-breaking 2:18.1 gave him the
runnerup position.
This put Norway temporarily on
top of the unofficial standings with
AN points to Sweden's 80.
Fourth place went to Lauri Park
kinen of Finland in 2:19.6 and fifth
to Gustav Janssno OF Sweden in
2:20.
Ray Blum of Nutley, N. j., who
has been complaining Of an ,ailing
back, finished in 2:34.4.
Ken Henry of Chicago had 2:24.6
and. Bob Fitzgerald of Minneapolis
came in with 2:27. 3 ..-,
Blum finished in Goth place, Henry
in 22d and Fitzgerald in 28th. Forty
six of the worlds best skaters COM
peted.
| Frenchman Wins Ski Race.
Henri Oreiller of France won the
second Olympic gold medal Of the
day when he outclassed the field In
the Emile downhill ski race. His
time was 2:55.
| N~n;,l.r,. +ri,,nopt,r coya rroncs itS |
first championship in the games and
its first points In the scoring table,
which is reckoned on 10 points for
first and 5-4-3-2-1 for the other five
top finishers.
| Austria also scored for the flrst
time today when Franz Gable placed
second in the ski race.
There was tie for third between
Swiss champion Karl Molitor and
his teammate, Rolls Olinger. Their
time was 3:006.
Americans who had been con-
sidered strong outsiders IN the ski
race did not get up among the best
due to falls on the difficult passage
halfway down the course.
Reddish Highest U. s. Finisher.
Jack Reddish Of Salt Lake City,
Utah was the highest finisher for
the United States, coming in 26th
with a time of 3:12.6.
Here's how other Americans
wound up in the field Of 1875:
Forty -second-Richard Movitz Of
Salt Lake City, 1884.
Forty -third-Steve Knowlton Of
Aspen, Colo, 1884.
Forty fourth-Robert Blatt Of
Palo Alto, Calf, 3:27.8.
Forty -fifth-Devereaux Jennings
of Salt Lake City, 1924.
Forty -seventh-Barney Mclean Of
Denver, Colo, 1902.
At the end of three figures In the
figure skating events, Eli Rada of
Austria stood in third place behind
Button and Gerschwiler with Henry
Sharp, the British champion, fourth,
and John Lettingarver, 18-year-old
(See OLYMPICs, Page A-13D |