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Reprint of a sports column written by Arthur Duffey:
DUFFEY PICKED
WYKOFF TO WIN!
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Coast Wonder Runs True to Form in
"Sprint of the Century" and
Fulfills Expert's (Prediction)
BY ARTHUR DUFFEY
Great sprinting races there have been in the past. Great
sprinting contests there will continue to be in the future. I
doubt very much if we will ever see any finer sprinting displayed than
that in the 100-metre run in the final Olympic tryouts in the Harvard
Stadium (Cambridge, MA) yesterday afternoon.
I know not what the Olympic 100-metre dash over in Amsterdam this
summer is going to have to offer. But one thing appears certain
and that is it will not be a harder fought, a more thrilling or a race
that will call for more speed and stamina than that same sprint within
Harvard's classic Stadium yesterday.
Heralded as the "Sprint of the Century" it proved to be in every
respect. When Charley Paddock,
the "Fastest Human," Frank Lombardi,
and last but no means least, Frank Wykoff
of the Glendale High School, were billed to meet in the sprints at the
Los Angeles Stadium in the far Western tryouts recently (6-16-28),
it was labeled as the greatest sprint of all times.
But it was a misnomer. Yesterday's 100-metre run in the
Stadium was the finest piece of sprinting displayed in the history of
American sprint running.
DUFF'S (PREDICTION) CORRECT
Frank Wykoff, that wonderful high school phenom of California came
through a winner as I predicted. I had no misgivings about this
wonderful runner going to prove himself a champion of champions when
once I saw him in action. I did not select Wykoff on any
hearsay, or without the deepest respect for his competitors.
They all ran brilliantly. But there was only one Wykoff in the
race, and I might add once in a life time.
When the writer recently visited California he had a chance to
become acquainted with the wonderful sprinting prowess of this
Glendale High School runner. You could talk about the
Paddock's, Borah's,
Lombardi's and the hundred and one other sprinters, but there
was only one Wykoff and that is how it happened yesterday.
Put five sprinters together all with a record of around 9 3-5
seconds for 100 yards and there is sure to be something happen.
There was no new world's 100-metre record established yesterday as far
as lowering the actual time for the distance was concerned. But
I feel safe in saying that young Wykoff established a world's
performance when he reeled off no less than four 100-metre heats all
in the Olympic equaling time of 10 3-5 seconds for the distance.
The runners who were pitted against this young sprinting genius
from out of the West were principally (Claude)
Bracey of Rice Institute, (Henry) Russell of Cornell, former
intercollegiate champion; Charley Paddock,
heretofore the greatest of all sprinters; (George)
Simpson of Ohio State, Bob
McAllister the Flying Cop of New York; Jimmy Quinn,
the Intercollegiate Champion this year; Jackson Scholz
of the New York A. C. (Athletic Club).
There were others it was true but this field represented the real
class of the field. Wykoff made his first appearance in the
third heat. Simpson the Ohio State runner had already won the
first heat in 10 3-5 seconds, while Bracey, the Rice Institute runner,
copped his in the same time.
CYNOSURE OF ALL EYES
But all eyes were on Wykoff when he made his appearance in the
third heat. So much had been heard about the California High
School lad, that many of the Eastern wiseacres thought that his record
time on the coast was just another case of California timing, or that
his victory over Paddock was because the former champ was slipping.
But Wykoff proved to be all the great runner that he was said to
be. Never did a Western runner come into the East with such
remarkable times. Never did any Westerner prove that he was all that
he was credited with being. Wykoff did not have the greatest
competition in his heat, but he easily flew away from
(Folwell) Scull, the
Pennsylvanian, and Roland
Locke, another fine runner from the New York A. C.
After his showing in his heat, Wykoff made good with the experts
right away. They said he will do. I never saw his like
before.
Wykoff starts with the typical kangaroo start. He is like
chain lightning off the mark. He is in his running right from
his first stride and gathers momentum as he races. There seems
to be no limit to what this youngster can do. In the first
semi-final heat again this youngster came to the line and showed that
he was still full of running.
The tip was out that Hank Russell of
Cornell was going like the wind. Also that
Bob McAllister was flying. But it did not faze the
Glendale High School boy in the least. He crouched on all fours
just as cool as the proverbial cucumber and killed off all competition
almost from the first 10 yards.
So was Wykoff's running one round of success. He defeated Hank Russell of Cornell and
Bob McAllister both times in the first
and second round of semi-finals, and looked safer than ever for the
final.
I must admit that I thought that the four heats would prove a
little too much for the Glendale boy. Running against such
seasoned veterans as Scholz, Paddock, Hank Russell and
McAllister it looked tough for the lad. But he made good
just the same.
EASILY PEER OF SPRINTERS
Wykoff now has proven that
he is the king of all
American sprint runners. Defeating such a field of sprinters in
such an important test as yesterday's tryouts leaves no chance for
argument. Whether Wykoff will be the first man to lower the
present accepted record for 100 yard in 9 3-5 seconds is a question.
Running 100 meters in 10 3-5 seconds is not as good a performance as
running 100 yards in 9 3-5 seconds. One hundred meters is 109
yards. As one can imagine a runner running such a distance is
running the last nine or 10 yards with a flying start.
Bracey of Rice Institute failed to
make the grade as a second string runner to Wykoff. I do believe
that it was the four heats that beat this wonderful Rice Institute
performer. Recently Bracey was said to have run 100 yards in 9
3-5 seconds and 220 yards in correspondingly good time. If he
does not actually do that time there is no question about him being
right on the edge of such a performance. |
