July 12, 1929 - Assoc. Press

  SPRINT KING - TO - FIND THRONE

By:  Frank G. Gorrie

Associated Press

Vancouver, B.C.  July 12, (1929)

America's greatest sprinters, with one or two exceptions had invaded the domain of Percy Williams, Olympic champion, today to attempt to conquer the only undefeated well-known 100-yard dash star in the world in the greatest track and field meet ever held on the Pacific coast. 

Williams, a slightly built youth of 21, who won world fame when he captured the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the Olympic games in Amsterdam last year, hoped to thrust aside the challenge of Eddie Tolan, "Midnight Express," Frank Wykoff, Claude Bracey, John Fitzpatrick, Milton Mauer, W. Scott, Wesley Foster, and many others in the two-day midsummer carnival and grand amateur athletic meet in Vancouver today and tomorrow.

George Simpson, "world's fastest human," and planned to match strides with the brilliant Olympic flash, but pulled a tendon in the national collegiate track and field meet in Chicago a few weeks ago and was forced to withdraw from the Canadian games.

Approximately 125 athletes, including several British Columbia Indians, were scheduled to compete in the carnival, which has attracted many of the greatest men and women stars in the United States and Canada.

FINALS TOMORROW

The preliminaries were to get under way at 5 p.m. today, with the finals scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.  The events today included dashes for men and women, a three-mile run, broad jump, 66-pound weight, quarter mile relay and two bicycle races.  Tomorrow the javelin, quarter mile, one mile, shot-put, high jump, 16-pound hammer, half mile, 28-pouond weight and women's relay will be added to the list of events.

The meet was to be formally opened by Lieut. Gov. R. R. Bruce of British Columbia.

WORLD CHAMPS THERE

The men athletes entered included Phil Edwards, famous quarter miler; R. F. Bowen, 200-yard flash; Herm Brix, shot-putter deluxe; Ed Hamm, word's broad jump champion, and W. McGeagn,  quarter miler.

The women stars to compete include Myrtle Cook, Florence Bell, Jean Thompson, Edith Cook, Fanny Rosenfeld famous Canadian sprinters.  A Canadian relay team will race two girl combinations from Los Angeles and Seattle.

Officials estimated that 35,000 persons would attend the two day program.

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OTHER REPRINTED NEWSPAPER ARTICLES CONCERNING THE VANCOUVER ATHLETIC CARNIVAL

1.  Williams Hopes For A New Record (Assoc. Press)

2.  Claim Wykoff First in Race (Williams to move to Los Angeles)

3.  Sprint King to Find Throne (Percy Williams)

4.  Williams, Tolan, Wykoff -- All Finished 1st?