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Prep Star Wins Decathlon, DutchMother Wins 3 Titles in OlympicsWtlafcnBy TED SMITS OLYMPIC STADIU M WEMBLEY, England — M — Two completely unorthodox athletes stand out today as the track stars of the 1948 Olympic games.One Is Bob Mathias the American high schoo l boy who won the decathlon. At 17 years of age he beat the world’s toughest all around competitors.The other is Holland’s Fannie Blanker-Koen, who is the first woman ever to win three Olympic championships. And she did it although she is 30 years old and the mother of two children. Her third gold medal came in the 200 meter dash, which she won Friday, just as everyone knew she would.Mathias had to plod through rain and darkness from 10:30 a.m. until 11: p.m. to snatchthe decathlon title away from a mighty field oi 37 that fir. illy dwindled down to 28.“I don’t ever want him to do it again,” said his proud mother* Mrs. C. M. Mathias of Tulare, Calif. “It’s too hard.”While young Bob was fashioning ;he victory that brought the total of American track and field championships to nine, pretty Victoria Manalo Braves of Pasadena, Calif., won her second diving championship. She is the first woman to do this in Olympic history. She added the high platform title to her previous springboard crown.The women’s 400-meter relay swimming team, sparked by powerful Ann Curtis, won America’s first vater racing championship in the female division of these games by defeating Denmark and Holland in the new record time of 4:29.2.Allen Stack of Yale won the fifth straight men’s swimming race—the 100 meter backstroke— to bring the United States close to a clean sweep of firsts in this sport.Two U.S. crews—the pairs with and without oxswains—wereknocked out oi the rowing regatta, but otherwise the Stars and Stripes continued to wave brightly despite the London weather.Never has a decathlon finished more dramatically the .; this one.Big steady Ignace Heinrich of France stuck to second place .11 and along. Because o: a lucky pole vault draw he was able to finish his ordeal around 7:00 p.m. with an imposing total of 6,974 points. Mathias was still pole vaulting and had the javelin and 1,500 meter run still ahead.The young Californian, who stands six feet, iy? inches, andwho weighs 193 pounds, is no distance runner. He k ew if he were to win he must pile up enough points in the pole vault and javelin to compensate for a slow 1,500 meters.So with iron nerves—friends say he never has the jitters—he kept on vaulting despite the rain and darkness. He finally soared over at 11 fee 5% inches for 692 I points. By then he hat 6,192 ooints, 165 ahead of what Heinrich had when he finished the pole vault.But night was wearing on. I’m so tired,” Bob groaned. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to run 1,500 meters in six minutes ’ In. the decathlon a man is graded on the basis of 1,000 for a perfect pe formance, and a six minute 1,500 would have been fatal.So Bob gritted his teeth and threw the javelin a mighty 165 feet 1 inch for 593 points.Now things looked safe.The runners took their positions on the far side of the track, scarcely visible in the gloom.The gun sounded and the; were off.It soon was apparent that oung Mathias was a tired, worn oy. A Swede spurted far in front, but with slow, painful motions like someone running in a dream, Bob kept on around the trck*When he came to the final stretch he managed a sprint. He finished in the pitifully slow time of 5:11 for only 354 points. But it was enough for victory.silco:*■v,0•giiCbVPtlrtlt;0wfibPo: t =t cPh1lt;II2 Big Onesslt;elnViThe box score:(First Game) Muskegon (1)AB RCayo, 3b ............. 5Karehinski, lb ......Hollowoll, c ........Hornick, cf ..........5Kloss, ss ............. 3Galot, If ..... 4Priebe, 2b ...... 4Sarade, rf ...........4Wiesman p .........4di100000000H0011a012 1PO01162234 0 0A240040000tJtltlt;PnTotals ...............39 1Ludington (2)AB RYeck, 2b ............. 3Czarnecki, If ........3Dennis, rf ..........4VanDyke, p ....... 4Anderson, 3b ........4Rockfall, cf ..........4Horowski, lb ..... 3Castonla, ss ........3Olmstead. n ......... 1Hull, x .......!1 Eogosch, c ....... l6 28a 10* V!sI1o01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0H PO 1 100111100014123072703A20002013000VIPLLggloon. Pitcher Joe Waszak wasTotals ................31 2 6 30 8a—One out when winning run was scored.x—Called out on strikes for Olmstead in sixth.MUSKEGON ...........100 000 000 0—1LUDINGTON ..........000 000 100 1—2Errors: Castonla. Rockfall, Priebe.nVCir
Newspaper Details
Ludington Daily News
Ludington, Michigan, US
Sat, Aug 07, 1948
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Helen S.
MD, USA 15 Oct 2020
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