1941: Track And Field

Even though the great international conflict caused the cancellation of the 1940 Olympic Games, a new international competition is now being organized known as the Pan-American Games, to be held for the first time in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 21 to Dec. 6, 1942. These games will be staged every four years in the years between the Olympiads. Avery Brundage, president of the United States of America Sports Federation, who is also president of the American Olympic Committee, announced that the Pan-American Games are being planned with Carlos Mihanovich, of Buenos Aires, a member of the Argentina Confederation of Sports. Athletes from Canada, Haiti, Trinidad, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico and each of the twenty-one republics in the Pan-American Union will compete. The full cooperation of the United States Government has been promised by Secretary of State Cordell Hull because of its vital interest in the games further to improve relations between the United States and Pan-American nations.

The absence of the Olympics in 1940 did not lessen a stimulus for track and field in 1941, as might have been expected. On the contrary, there was an improvement in performances that kept the sport racing along at breakneck speed. Forgetting the lack of international competitions, the United States experienced a brilliant track and field year and its athletes outdid themselves in setting many new records. Performances were witnessed by a greater number of spectators in huge arenas and stadiums.

The spike shoe idol of the United States is Gregory Rice, who was awarded the N. Y. Track Writers Association Trophy for 1941, to add to his 1940 Association award. He won nine straight races indoors, including new world records at two and three miles. He followed up his new two-mile mark of 8:53.4 in the New York A. C. Indoor Games by a faster record of 8:51.1 in the Chicago Daily News annual meet in Chicago, the fastest two miles ever run by man indoors or out. His new world time for three miles in 13 min. 51 sec. was made in the National A.A.U. indoor championships.

Close on the heels of Rice for the 1941 track crown was Leslie MacMitchell, age 21, by virtue of his remarkable progress during the year, equaling Glenn Cunningham's and Chuck Fenske's competitive indoor standard of 4:07.4, in the Baxter Mile. His claim to top honors in the mile is backed up by his dashing victories in five feature one-mile races during the 1941 indoor season and his spectacular wins of the I.C. 4-A., N.C.A.A., and A.A.U. one-mile crowns. He beat stronger competition in the mile than Rice experienced in the two-mile, and with demonstrations of greater versatility. MacMitchell is now being primed for a 4:04 mile or better under record-breaking conditions during 1942, according to Emil Von Elling, his N.Y.U. coach and Bob Giegengack, Fordham coach.

As is usually the case, the far West is again entitled to sectional honors in trackdom because of the superiority of its representatives in six events of the National A.A.U. championships in Philadelphia. California's stellar athletes set such new world records as Cornelius Warmerdam's 15 ft. 5 in. in the pole vault, after clearing over 15 feet seven times in four meets; 6 ft. 11 in. by Lester Steers in the high jump; Grover Klemmer equaling Ben Eastman's quarter-mile in 46.4 sec.; an American record of 174 ft. 8 in. by Archie Harris in the discus throw; an American native record of 234 ft. 3 in. by Bob Peoples in the javelin throw; and a world record two-mile relay in 7:35.5 by a California quartet.

Added to those great performances, Klemmer also broke the 400-meter world record with a dashing 46 sec., and he ran on two Golden Bear relay teams that cracked the one-mile standard with 3:09.4 and the two-mile with 7:34.5. Jesse Owens' 100-meter mark was equaled by Harold Davis in 10.2 sec. Fred Wal-cott did the high hurdles in 13.7 sec. to equal Forrest Towne's 110-meter and 120-yard records in the same race. Two Westerners were disappointed when wind invalidated their performances — a 9.2 sec. 100-yard dash by Carlton Terry, of Texas, and a 20.2 sec. 220-yard dash by Harold Davis, of Salinas College.

Many world indoor marks were eclipsed. John Borican speeded to a new record of 1:10.2 for 600 yards. Al Blozis, of Georgetown, put the 16-lb. shot 56 ft. 2 in., also winning every indoor and outdoor title he sought. Joe McCluskey, N.Y.A.C., galloped to a new world indoor record in the two-mile steeplechase in 9 min. 35.4 sec.

Earl Meadows, 1936 Olympic champion, went to new heights of 14 ft. 7 in. in the pole vault and predicted that vaulters would some day clear 16 ft. and possibly 17 ft. with the aid of a new take-off box he has designed. Bob Wright, of Ohio State, is credited with a new indoor mark of 7.3 sec. in the 60-yard high hurdles, clearing five hurdles instead of the customary four for the distance.

Bobby Ginn, a 124-pound sophomore of the University of Nebraska, is a youngster who has the makings of a second Wooderson or Lovelock. He flashed a 4:10.1 one-mile in the California-Nebraska dual meet, at Berkeley, Calif. Liebowitz, of Idaho, is credited with the fastest outdoor mile of the season, in 4:09.3, in a local conference meet, in his college town, Moscow, Idaho.

Sparkling performances predominated during the annual I.C.4-A. outdoor championships in Triborough Stadium, Randalls Island, N. Y. An eight-man team representing New York University led by the peerless Leslie MacMitchell won the team trophy. MacMitchell not only won the one-mile title, but he also ran his fastest half-mile, in 1:53, for his first 880-yard victory, and carried the baton on the second leg of the winning one-mile relay. Norman Ewell, of Penn State, won both the 100- and 220-yard dashes and the running broad jump.

Among women entrants, keen competition marked the National A.A.U. track and field championships at Ocean City, N. J. The glamor performance of the meet was the 200-meter dash by Jane Lane, an 18-year-old senior at Wilberforce University, in 25.2 sec., beating Stella Walsh, one-time Polish Olympic ace, a second under her championship mark. Miss Lane also won the 100-meter title. Miss Walsh won high individual scoring honors with 28 points, winning the discus, broad jump, and second in the 200-meter. Tuskegee (Ala.) Institute scored 112 points to win the championship team title.