TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS— MEN " 7 ^ : a : : • t t ;•. - . • ••• S : ' ^ >: G- ^ ' LI G ? ' ' ..V »! ' ' TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS — MEN HREE hundred and thirty men, representing thirty-four nations, took part in the twenty-three events comprising the Athletics programme of the TGames of the Xth Olympiad. When the hnal event was concluded and the champion stood at attention on the Victory pedestal while the flag of his country was unfurled over Olympic Stadium, twenty new Olympic or World's records had been established. The responsibility for the many record-breaking performances has been generally attributed to a combination of circumstances, including the fine mental and physical condition of the athletes due to pleasant surroundings in the Olympic Village, the adequate training facilities, favorable weather conditions, excellent Track and Field facilities, and to the enthusiastic and sportsmanlike attitude of the spectators. In addition, the quality of performance of the athletes was improved because many of the tiring preliminary heats could be eliminated. This was made pos­ sible, first, by the ruling of the Olympic Congress, Berlin, 1930, reducing the number of entries in each sport from each country from four to three, and second, by the factor of the expense and time involved in making the long trip to Los 377 Source : Bibliothèque du CIO / IOC Library TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS—^MEN XTH OLYMPIAD LOS ANGELES 1932 Angeles, which resulted in the teams representing the nations being limited and The existing Olympic record of 21.6 seconds for the 200 Metres was beaten necessarily more carefully selected. on seven different occasions by the winners of heats or finals, in many of these All of the events in Athletics, with the exception of the Marathon and the races the men finishing second, and sometimes third, also surpassing the previous mark. As in the case of the 100 Metres, the athletes of several countries suc­ 50,000 Metre Walk, were held in Olympic Stadium. The Marathon started and finished within the Stadium. It had been hoped originally to start and finish ceeded in breaking the old mark. the 50,000 Metre Walk also in the Stadium, but owing to the difficult traffic It was not unusual for three or four individuals to break the existing Olympic conditions it was found impracticable to attempt a complete closing of the neces­ record in events both on the track and in the field, and even the World record in the sary highways for more than one event. However, another course was found 4 x 400 Metre Relay was broken three times. The World record for the Decathlon which proved entirely satisfactory. was exceeded not only by the winner of the event but by the second place winner Existing Olympic records, if any, escaped being shattered in only three as well. It is doubtful, in cases. The Hammer Throw, the Broad Jump, and the High Jump records alone the history of Track and were not surpassed. In the Marathon and the 3000 Metre Steeplechase events, Field athletics, that so many Olympic records have not been recognized because of the difference in the con­ former records were ever ditions of the courses over which these events have been contested in successive equalled or so many new Olympiads. In each case, however, the best previous record made in the Olvmpic ones made. Games was exceeded. In the 50,000 Metre Walk, the time made was a record There was perhaps no due to the fact that this was the first time that this event had ever been contested more spectacular perform­ in the Games. ance than in the great Mara­ New Olympic records were set in every Track event and in five out of the thon run of 26 miles and eight Field events. Seven out of the seventeen new Olympic records were new 385 yards, in which the run­ World's records. In addition, three World's records were equalled, and in one ners, after making approxi­ other event, the 200 Metre, while there is no recognized World record for this mately two turns of the track when run around one turn, the time recorded was far below the best time ever in the Stadium, disappeared made under similar conditions and was fully equivalent to a new World's record. from view, and then, on their However, merely to state that the best previous Olympic performances were return, re-entered from a exceeded in twenty events out of twenty-three, is to give an incomplete picture tunnel and ran about 300 of the record-breaking character of the competition, for many of these records metres to the finish. So close DR. PATRICK O'CALLAGHAN, IRELAND, THE ONLY 1928 OLYMPIC was the competition in this CHAMPION IN TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS TO SUCCESSFULLY were broken not alone once, but several times, and by several different individuals. DEFEND HIS TITLE, ENJOYS THE COMPETITION Only when this fact is taken into consideration is it possible to gain a correct event that before Zabala, FROM THE GRANDSTAND and full impression of the high quality of the competition. the Argentine winner, had In the 100 Metre Run, for example, the previous Olympic record of 10.6 crossed the finish line, there were three other runners on the track, and the first seconds was equalled by three contestants, a Japanese, a South African, and an three men to finish all exceeded the best previous Olympic Marathon record. American sprinter, was then lowered to 10.5 seconds by sprinters from the A guarantee of the correctness of these many wonderful performances was Argentine and Germany, and was finally lowered to 10.4 seconds and then to made doubly sure by the fact that all courses had been carefully measured and 10.3 seconds by the ultimate winner, Tolan of the United States. Thus the surveyed by the Sports Technical Department, and had then been checked and previous 100 Metre Olympic record was tied three times and broken four times, certified by properly qualified surveyors of the Los Angeles City and County gov­ during the course of the Xth Olympiad, no less than six different sprinters from ernments. Coupled with the accuracy of the course measurements was the cer­ five different countries participating in the shattering of the old mark. tainty of correct timing. Not only had the stop watches used in timing all Olympic 378 379 Source : Bibliothèque du CIO / IOC Library XTH OLYMPIAD LOS ANGELES 1932 TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS— MEN events been specially examined and certified by a qualified observatory, but a below his winning mark at Amsterdam, was of no avail against his younger double check by two electrical timing devices, one operated by hand and the opponents, two of whom were able to exceed the previous World's record. Yrjola other by a camera, made correct timing an assured fact. finished sixth. In these days of hectic competition, the space of four years intervening be­ Lord David Burghley of Great Britain, who scored the first track victory tween celebrations of the Games makes it increas­ of the Amsterdam Games, did his ingly difficult for champions of one Olympiad to best to repeat in the same event, the return during another and again defeat the world. exhausting 400 Metre Hurdles. He Despite this fact, six men who won seven Track coasted in nicely in his heat, in sec­ * :r' ond place, and ran a well-judged race and Field championships at Amsterdam in 1928 >' returned to seek victory again in the same events in the finals, being strongly in second at Los Angeles in 1932, and in addition to these, place over the last hurdle but suc­ two veterans who had won gold medals in previous cumbing to the last-minute rush of Games participated. Thus winners of nine previ­ his rivals in the final forty yards. ous Olympic championships were competitors at Two of the most interesting the Los Angeles Games. performances of the Games were Of the defending title-holders from 1928, made by champions of former years. only one was able to retain his championship. Dr. F. Morgan Taylor of the United O'Callaghan of Ireland, whose victory in the States, Olympic champion in the Hammer Throw was achieved on his final toss. 400 Metre Hurdles at Paris in 1924 All other title-holders fell by the wayside under and a good third in 1928 at Am­ the stress of competition. sterdam, reached the finals in this Percy Williams of Canada, whose sensational event for the third time in succession double victory in the Sprints had been one of the and performed the remarkable feat outstanding achievements of the 1928 Games, of nosing out his 1928 conqueror. entered both Sprint events at Los Angeles. In Lord Burghley, for third place in the the first round he ran third in a 10.8 seconds finals. heat, which incidentally equalled his winning Another veteran to perform re­ time at Amsterdam, and again ran third in the markably was Ville Porhola of Fin­ A BUSY VETERAN, LORD BURGHLEY, second round, which was won in the new Olympic land, Olympic champion in the Shot 1928 OLYMPIC CHAMPION, WHO PLACED GROUND JURIES AND PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THREE EVENTS IN 1932 time of 10.4 seconds. In the semi-final, however, Put at Antwerp in 1920. Porhola AT THE FINISH LINE he could do no better than fourth, and then staged his "comeback" in 1932 in decided that his lack of form made it useless to compete in the longer sprint another event, the Hammer Throw, 1 and therefore withdrew. and his toss of 171 feet, 6 /4 inches, was not only better than O'Callaghan's A similar fate befell Harri Larva of Finland, Olympic 1500 Metre champion winning throw at Amsterdam but was good enough to lead the Los Angeles in 1928.