Evening star., 1948-02-07
Ty|er's Team Winner
In Heavy 5nowstorm;
Figure Skaters Fail
BY ths Asseeiaied Press


ST. NORTH, Switzerland. Feb.
rang up her third
in the fifth winter
Olympic today when reckless bob
sled team, headed by Francis Tyler
of Lake Placid, N. Y, roared to VIC
tory in the four-man bobsled event.
Defying a heavy snowstorm that
blew in to mar the next-to-last day
of the games, Tyler piloted his bob
down the icy apline chutes in near
record time to add more gold to the
Olympic medals already won by
figure skater Richard Button of
Englewood, N. j., and skier Gretchen
Fraser of Vancouver. Wash.
Tyler's team overcame q lead
hung up by Switzerland's great
Fritz Feierabend yesterday before
a broken water pipe interrupted the
runs.
Another u. S. Team Third.
The other American team, piloted
by James Bickford of Saranac Lake,
N. Y. finished third behind the sled
guided by Max Houben of Belgium.
Aside from a 4-3 victory over
Britain in the hockey tournament,
the United States fell short in other
events today, although two Amer
ican figure skating pairs finished
fifth and sixth in that competition.
The world champion figure skat-
ing couple, Micheline Lannoy and
Pierre Baugniet of Belgium, won the
figure skating pair championship. on
the pasis of unofficial scoring.
The United States two tandems
Sherman and Robert
Swenning of New York and the
Kennedy kids, Karol and Peter, of
Seattle, Wash, finished fifth and
sixth, respectively.
The Belgians were given their
toughest competition by a Hunga-
rian couple, Andrea Kekesy and EIDE
Kiraly.
Canadian Pair Third.
The score sheet put the Canadian
pair, Suzanne Morrow and Wallace
Diestelmeyer, in third place with
the Britains, Winifred and Dennis
Silverthorne, in fourth.
The competition was staged In a
snowstorm and on ice scuffed by a
hockey game.
Both American teams skated more
slowly than their European COM
petitors, but with great grace and
rhythm. The snow caused several
tumbles.
Peter Kennedy faltered once and
Karol missed maneuver that ap-
parently hurt the American score.
1T was so terrible I didn't even
know what I was doing" complained
Karol.
Pepet Hugsted of Norway won the
special ski jump with a leap OF 70
meters (229 feet inches) after dis
cussions on whether it was safe to
let the ski pilot leap in a heavy
snowfall. Overnight snow had
made the hill soft and diff1cult to
master.
Americans fell short In this COM
petition.
Jumps included:
Gordon Wren, Winter Park, Colo,
66 meters (216 feet 6 inchesJ Walter
Bietila, Iron Mountain, Mich, 81
meters GOO feet inchesl;, Matti
Pietikainen, Finland, SO meters .(226
feet inches; Wilhelm, Hellrnala,
Sweden, ST meters (219 feet 10
inches.
Wrens jump gave him third place.
Czechs Take Hockey Lead.
Czechoslovakia moved into the
front and the United States solidi-
fed it's fourth place position with
victories in the ice hockey tourna-
ment which almost simultaneously
was given the delayed blessing of
the International Olympic Commit
tee. The contests were played in a
thick snow
Otto Mayer, Swiss chancellor Of
the IOC announced a compromise
under which hockey would be re-
stored to its official status but the
United States AHA team, center OF
the pre-games controversy, would
not be recognized.
The Czechs, who have only tie
with Canada to mar their record.
defeated unbeaten Switzerland, 7
to /, in crucial game. The United
States outfit downed Great Britain,
4 to 8. Sweden rolled over Italy,
% to 0.
Title Rides on Games Tomorrow.
The Czechs now have a record of
six wins and one tie for 13 points.
Canada, which must play the rug
ged Swiss tomorrow, has won five
and tied one while the Swiss are in
third place with six victories and
one defeat.
That means the championship
will ride with the final games to-
Observation-Disclosures against the
United States and Canada against
Switzerland.
The United States squad-which
can't qualify for one of the three
first place Olympic medals even If
it should crack the select group
defeated Britain by the margin of a
penalty shot, the first in the round
robin series.
John Riley of Medford Mass, was
skating through the British team in
the second period and was about to
shoot when he was held from be-
hind by Britain's William Smith.
Given free shot at the goal, Riley
showed the puck home
In FlLIl ca