Report on VIII Olympiad Paris, France, 1924
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of the men in charge of the swimmers—Chief Coach William Bachrach, of Chicago; Women’s Coach L. deB. Handley, New York; Ernest Brandsten of California, Diving Coach; Freddy Sponsberg of New York, Assistant Diving Coach; Jamison Handy, Chicago, Assistant Manager, and Miss Charlotte Epstein of New York; also Mrs. Charles A. Dean of Chicago, worked inces santly for the success of the team, and their efforts were not wasted, as the team proved to be the greatest that ever left the United States to compete at an Olympiad. Some of the girls who were practically unknown until the Olympic games, made great improvement on the way overseas, which was due to the expert coaching they received during the voyage. There were many outstanding swimmers on the team, both men and women, but none stood out as prominently as Johnny Weismuller, the Illinois A . C . star; he was the backbone of the American team, and he suc ceeded in winning the 100 meters, and the 400 meters free style events, breaking the record in each event. He also swam anchor man on the vic torious relay team, which also established a world’s record, and played the final game of polo in which the Americans finished in third place. Next in point of victorys to Weismuller, comes Al White of Leland Stan ford University. This wonderful diver from the west scored two victories, winning the spring board and high fancy diving events. Warren Kealoha of Hawaii repeated his victory in the Antwerp games, and won the back stroke event in world’s record time. Robert Skelton of the Illinois A . C . won the 200 meters breast stroke title, establishing a new world’s record. The American relay team, consisting of Weismuller, Breyer, O’Connor and Glancy, easily won this event, making a new world’s record. Among the women who were crowned the world’s champions are the following: Ethel Lackie, Illinois A.C. , 100 meters free style; Martha Norelius, New York, 400 meters free style, Sybil Bauer, Illinois Athletic Club, 100 meters back stroke; Elizabeth Becker, Ambassador Swimming Club, Atlantic City, fancy dive; Caroline Smith, Cairo, Ill., high plain diving. Agnes Geraghty of the Women’s Swimming Assn., New York, was second in the women’s 200 meters breast stroke events, while the Misses Ederle, Lackie, Wehselau and Donnelly won the women’s relay race in new record time. In nearly all the events for women new Olympic records were estab lished. Had the Olympic Committee approved of the water polo team at the time it was selected in Chicago and the men had practiced together, it is a foregone conclusion that the United States would have won the polo honors also. The comedy stunt performed on several occasions at the Paris Stadium by Johnny Weismuller and Stubby Kruger was one of the features of the games, and the French public could not get enough of this act. To demonstrate the friendly feeling of the French people towards the Americans, I saw an audience of close to seven thousand stand up and call for Weismuller for two or three minutes; this was after the American had won the 100 meters. They only sat down after it was announced that Weis muller would appear again later in the afternoon. Col. Robert M. Thompson, president of the American Olympic Com mittee, did everything possible for the comfort of the swimmers, and none of them were in any way dissatisfied with conditions on the trip. The results of the swimming events show that the American swimmers must have been in the best of condition, or the wonderful victories could not have been pos sible. The Olympic swimming events closed on the 20th of July, and as the.