Chicago world. (Chicago, Ill.) 1918-????, 1948-06-05
NEGRO WOMEN
BOOST U. S.
TRACK HOPES

tkH0k HUpES
Negro men athletes of. superb
ability are no novelty on United
States Olympic teams. Names
like Eddie Tolan,. Jesse Owens.
Cornelius Johnson, Ralph Met
calfe, Archie Williams, Johnny
Woodruff, and DeHart Hubbard
are written in the records of
previous Olympics, and this year
should see added names like
Charles Fontville, Harrison Dill
lard, Willie Steele and perhaps
others.
But this year, too, for the first
time, Negro women athletes
seem certain not only to win
places on the American team,
which they have done in the past
but to win their events when
the. games are run in London.
There were two Negro women
on the 1886 women's team, Tydie
Pickett of Chicago and Louise
Stoes OF Maiden, Mass, but they
did not win. 1t will be surprising
If there aren't some feminine
Negro winners this year.
WATSON MAY MAKE 1T
Tuskegee Institute of Alabama
for example where track owes
much to the schools athletic
director, Maj. Cleve Abbot, a
veteran of World War 1 and
a member Of the United States
Olympic committee, may place
ON the team Juanita Watson. 1S
year old speedster from Besse-
mer, Ala, who held the 1947 |
women's National A A U record
In the 100 meter dash OBJ sec
onds), and ran the distance in
LIS recently at a meet in Tus-
kegee.
Miss Watson set an American !
indoor dirt track record for
women in the national indoor
meet in Chicago last month by
running the SO meter dash in 6.5
seconds, and was chased home. !
on that occasion, by Lilliann |;
Young of the Forrestville play
ground, Chicago another Olympic
hopeful. Miss Young is student
at Chicago Teachers college and
no relation to Buddy,
TUsKEGEE HAS HURDLE
STAR
Tuskegee also has Theresa
Manuel, 20, of Tampa, Fla, who
clipped 20 of a second from
the SO meter hurdle mark ITO
win in :07.4 in the Chicago,
meet, with another Chicagoan,
Bernice Robinson of the Wash
ington Park playground, closing
fast at the tape.
Miss Robinson, who also tied
for first place in the high jump
With leap Of 4 feet IL 3 IN. |
and now is being coached by !
Mel Walker, former Ohio State |
jumper, is a definite Olympic
prospect. Miss Robinson attends
George Williams college.
.PURIFoY A POSSIBILITY
Another Tuskegee star also
must be considered: Lille Puri-
foy, who has broad jumped II
feet 6 inches this year.
EtrOr,1 Tonnoccoo Stoto o0,,,o
Mary Hardaway Of Laurel, Miss. |
who tied the worlds record OF |
1854 for the so meter dash at
the Tuskegee meet recently;
Audrey (Mickey) Patterson Of
New Orleans, holder of last
years National A. A. U. junior
indoor title in the 200 meters;
championship and this years
Emma Reed, Vicksburg, Miss,
who tied Miss Robinson in the
high jump at the indoor cham
pionships, and Mary Ellen Will
son Of Evanston, a dash star.
cOAcHMAN WON TITLE /
Nor is the list OF potential |
Olympic talent exhausted. Not |
to be overlooked, certainly, is
Alice Coachman, former Tuske-
gee athlete, who now teaches in
Albany, Ga, Miss Coachman won |
the national women's high jump |
title last years with a leap OF !
5 feet l inch and also took. the
SO meter dash running the dis
lance in 6.S seconds.
These and others, especially
from Tuskegee, whose team has
lost only one meet since 1886, |
will bear watching when the Ma
tional A. A. U. outdoor cham
pionships for women are held
July IL in the Brown university |