1939: Track And Field

More new records were made in track than in field events, both in United States and abroad, and ironically, it was a young Finnish runner named Taisto Maki who contributed the greatest glamour to the sport of foot-racing in 1939. Maki overshadowed the supreme running ability of another great Finn, Paavo Nurmi, whose track exploits of more than a decade ago are still fresh in the memory of track fans.

Besides the phenomenal Maki, who set new world records for time in five events, other conspicuous figures in the track world were Sydney Wooderson, the diminutive London bank clerk, who created a new world record and a new British mark; Rudolf Harbig, the speedy German middle distance runner, who bettered two world records; Chuck Fenske, who won the outdoor Princeton mile; an American relay team which made a new 3,200-meter record: John Borican who made new American indoor marks (not recognized in international competition) in three races; and the Fordham relay team which won the one-mile relay race. In the field events, a German hammer world record by Lutz, and an American indoor pole vault mark round out the stellar accomplishments of the spiked shoe army.

To Maki go the golden laurels, for the Mercury-winged Finn's two-mile record of 8 min. 53.2 sec., slashing 2.8 sec. from the world mark; his three miles in 13 min. 32.4 sec.; 5.000 meters in 14 min. 8.8 sec.; six miles in 28 min. 55.6 sec.; and 10,000 meters in 29 min. 52.2 sec. thereby slicing 8.2 to 13.2 seconds from recent records made by Olympic champions.

Wooderson's new British one-mile record of 4 min. 7.4 sec., the year's fastest, was followed by a new world record for the three-quarter-mile, in 2 min. 59.5 sec. which set him up to assault the one-mile world record in Palmer Stadium, Princeton, N. J., ten days later. It was in this race that the unavoidable crowding by Blaine Rideout caused the bump that jarred the athletic world. Pictures of the incident show that Wooderson was cut short one stride, which made little or no difference in his running the race. Sports authorities agreed that his slow pace up to that time prevented a new world record and favored his American rivals to win in the sprint to the finish, such as they did, in the off-record time 4 min. 11 sec., won by Chuck Fenske, of Wisconsin. Since Wooderson had not lost a race abroad in three years, and had smashed four world records in twenty-two months, he was favored to win in new world record time, while Fenske was considered to be a long shot. Cunningham took second; San Romani, third; Rideout, fourth; Wooderson, fifth and last.

The two dazzling records made by Harbig were his 400 meters in 46 sec., and his unheard-of time of 1 min. 46.6 sec. for 800 meters, 3 seconds better than Elroy Robinson's (U. S.) previous world time.

Fenske also came to the fore in establishing new world time (outdoor) for 1,000 yards, in 2 min. 9.3 sec., but this is a distance that is not recognized by the International Federation. Likewise, the Federation does not recognize indoor records, thereby causing John Borican, an American, to forfeit recognition in his 800 meters in 1 min. 49.2 sec.; 880 yards in 1 min. 49.2 sec.; and 1,000 yards in 2 min. 8.8 sec. The same applies to the new one-mile relay mark of 3 min. 15.2 sec. by a Fordham team, and the pole vault record of 14 ft. 6 in. by Cornelius Warmerdam. Lutz surpassed the world hammer throw mark of Paddy Ryan (U. S.) made in 1913, tossing the iron sphere 193 ft. 9 in., more than four feet better than the powerful American.

In an effort to check and compare the performances of athletes in various meets in the United States and abroad, the Amateur Athletic Union made a list on a performance basis, a sort of 'Paper Olympics of 1939,' scored on the unofficial method. Giving a vivid picture of how various nations' athletes compare, it showed that the United States outscored the others, with 209 points against 108 for Finland, 74 for Germany, 28 for Norway, and so on down the list.

A team of ten leading American athletes carried off the major honors in the International Meet in London, against fifteen nations, winning eight first places out of fourteen events. Roy Cochrane (U. S.) won the 440-yard hurdles in 52.7 sec., establishing a new British record; Clyde Jeffrey (U. S.) distinguished himself by winning both the 100-and 200-yard dashes. Bill Watson (U. S.) was the high point scorer of the day, breaking the English shot put record with a heave of 52 ft. 8 in.; the broad jump with a leap of 24 ft. 6 in.; and scoring third in the discus. Charles Beetham (U. S.) tied the British record of 2 min. 11 sec. for the 1,000-yard race in Glasgow. The third British record broken in the International Meet was the 3-mile run, by Maki, in 13 min. 59.4 sec.

In the A. A. U. outdoor national championships, four new records were established; and only seven of the eighteen defending title-holders regained their crowns, with the Olympic Club capturing the team title from the N. Y. A. C. Joe Scott, of Western Reserve, won the decathlon title in the difficult test of ten events; and John Borican, of the Shore A. C., led his rivals in the pentathlon championship. In the indoor championships, five new meet records and one citizen record went to superior athletes, and the N. Y. A. C. regained the team title.

The two major collegiate track fixtures, the Penn Relays and the Drake Relays, were held at Philadelphia and Des Moines.

WORLD'S BEST TRACK AND FIELD PERFORMANCES FOR 1939.

100-Yard Dash: Geer, United States; Ellerbe, United States; M. Robinson, United States; Dunn, Australia (9.5 sec. all).

100-Meter Run: Jeffrey, United States; Ellerbe, United States (10.2 sec. both).

200-Meter Run: Jeffrey, United States (20.7 sec.).

400-Meter Run: Harbig, Germany (46.0 sec.; World Record).

800-Meter Run: Harbig, Germany (1 min. 46.6 sec.; World Record).

1,500-Meter Run: Anderson, Sweden (3 min. 48.8 sec.).

One-Mile Run: Wooderson, Great Britain (4 min. 07.4 sec.).

Two-Mile Run: Maki, Finland (8 min. 53.2 sec.; World Record).

Three-Mile Run: Maki, Finland (13 min. 42.4 sec.; World Record).

5,000-Meter Run: Maki, Finland (14 min. 08.8 sec.; World Record).

Six-Mile Run: Maki, Finland (28 min. 55.6 sec.; World Record).

10,000-Meter Run; Maki, Finland (29 min. 52.3 sec.; World Record).

3,200-Meter Relay Race: United States (Schwartzkopf, Cochrane, B. Rideout, Beetham), (7 min. 35.2 sec.).

110-Meter Hurdles: Wolcott, United States (14.1 sec.).

400-Meter Hurdles: Hoelling, Germany (51.6 sec.).

High Jump: Steers, United States (6 ft. 8 in.).

Broad Jump: Kin, Japan (25 ft. 8 in.).

Pole Vault: Meadows, United States (14 ft. 7 in.).

Hop, Step, and Jump: Strom, Norway (51 ft. 10 in.).

Discus: Fox, United States (172 ft. 4 in.).

Shot Put: Hackney, United States (55 ft. 11 in.).

Javelin: M. Jarvinen, Finland (250 ft. 11 in.).

Hammer Throw: Lutz, Germany (193 ft. 9 in.; World Record).