Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-07-31
Def|ates Americans
In Track Title Quest;
Czech Runner Hero
By Ted SHIFTS
A.soeioted Press Sports Writer

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England, July 81. - The United
States still may win the Olympic
games track and field unofficial
championship-but 1t won't be easy.
The exuberant over-confidence of
the last week faded today under the
hard blows dealt in the high jump
an event America hoped to sweep.
Even as the Red, White, and Blue
dropped, there began to emerge the
possible great hero of the 1913
games. He is Emil zatopek of
Czechoslovakia., the strangest,
strongest, widest. most anguished
distance runner ever seen.
Suffering with every step, Zatopek
won the 10000 meters yesterday IN
1885, a new olympic record. The
commotion he set up helped screen
the embarrassment of the Ameri-
can high jumpers who bowed to
John Winter of Australia at the
ignominious height of 6 feet 6
inches.
How Americans Jared.
Here's how Americans Jared In
other sports on the first day Of
competition:
Swimming-Wally Ris of the Uni
versity of Iowa equaled the 100
meter record of SIS in his pre-
liminary heat. Keith Carter OF
Purdue defeated favored Alex Jany
of France in a 57.6 heat but both
qualified for today's final as did
Alan Ford of Yale After four COM
pulsory dives Bruce Harlon of Ohio
was first in springboard diving with
DR.. Sammy Lee of Pasadena, Calf,
second. Joaquin Capilla of Mexico
was third and Miller Anderson, Ohio
State, fourth. Ann Curtis of San
Francisco won her 100-meter free
style heat and Brenda Helser of Los
Angeles was third in hers. The
American woman breaststrokers were
eliminated in the preliminaries.
Basket ball-The United States
overwhelmed Switzerland. 1921.
Water polo-The United States
blanked Uruguay, TO, in flrst-round
competition.
Fencing-The mems foils team
reached the semif1nals by defeating
Canada and Switzerland.
| Pentathlon-Maj. G. B. Moore of
the United States Army finished
second to Capt. william Grut of
Sweden in the 5,0O0-meter cross
country ride.
Wrestling-Four Americans won
and two lost. Bantamweight Gerald
Leeman, Cedar Falls. Iowa, won
with a fall. Flyweight William
Jernigan. Tulsa Okla: Welterweight
Leland G. Merrill, jr, Midtown, N. j.,
and Light Heavyweight Henry Wit
tenberg, New York, won on decisions
which count one point against them.
Heavyweight Richard Hutton, Oak
hurst, Okla, lost on decision,
counting two points against him and
Lightweight William Kohl, Iowa
State Teachers, lost on fall, three
points against him.
U. S. Jumpers Detected.
The American high jumpers were
a detected lot last night.
MY takeofis were not up to snuff"
said George Stanich of U. c. l.. A.,
who did 6 feet 81 inches in the
Olympic tryouts.
| Dwight Eddleman of the Univer-
sity of Illinois, who did 6-71s in the
tryouts, said afterwards he twice
cleared the bar by 2 inches at
the winning height but landed
squarely on it.
Vern McGrew. 10, of Rice, who
also did 6-8A in the tryouts, said
his legs didn't have it yesterday.
But friends revealed there were
other factors that hurt the jumpers.
. The Olympic pits are level with the
takeof instead of piled up a foot
high-a psychological hazard Also
the uprights are only II feet apart
instead of the American IA, and
the cross bar is held on internal
pegs instead of resting on top Of the
uprights.
But Barney Ewell, Mel Patton,
and Harrison billiard all came
through the first two rounds of 100
meter heats smoothly. And Roy
Cochran, the scientific, rolling
hipped 400-meter hurdler from In
diana and now on the faculty Of
the University OF Southern Cali
fornia, matched new Olympic
record in the semifnals Of his event
lat :519. That was the same time
made by Rune LARSON of Sweden in
winning the other seminal. The
old record was $50, made by Glenn
Hardin of the United States in 1882.
Zatopek Captures Crowd.
It was Zatopek who captured the
hearts of the $1,000 sweltering spec
tators in the converted dog race
track.
Right from the first lap he ap-
peared in trouble, webbing his head
and shaking his arms. AS the emile
376-yard race progressed his face
contorted, he threw his head back
and to all indications he was ready
to fall on his face.
But instead of falling he started
sprinting, or SC it seemed, and the
entranced crowd started the great
Czechoslovakia chant, where the
first and last syllables keep time
with the runners powerful strides: |
'zat-o-pek, zat-o-pek."
Next comes the 5000 meters
heats begin today-and a chance for
Zatopek to become a double winner
and first-rate Olympic hero.