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Peter McIntyre: Athletics events at the 1948 London Olympics

Foreword

Having been interested in Amateur Athletics since I was a young lad, and later as I grew older, taking an active part in the open competitions in Scotland for a period of 15 years. I had like many others, dreams of being at the Olympic Games. Any thoughts I ever had of being there as a competitor were dispelled before many years had gone by. Though I and many of my fellow club mates basked in the reflected glory of having been coached and trained by an athlete who did reach these heights and who was chosen to represent Great Britain in the Olympic Games at Paris in 1924. The gentleman in question being Mr David Cummings and the event was the steeplechase.

There was only one other way I had of being present at The Games and when it was decided to have this feast of athletics in London in 1948, I started to make my plans to get there as a spectator. Having made application for tickets in November 1947 and received them in June 1948 you will understand that when the end of July came along I was quite as thrilled and excited as my son who was going to accompany me to the Wembley Stadium in London.

The first part of The Games was relayed over the radio and I was listening to the broadcast on the Thursday afternoon as I did not travel to London Till later in the evening. The Opening Ceremony was a really colourful spectacle and when I was speaking later in London to some who had been present, all of them said it was a wonderful sight.

Each of the 61 competing nations were preceded into the huge arena by a British Boy Scout, who carried a banner-board with the name of the nation, and a few paces behind came the flag bearer, then, the team of athletes, men and women. Some teams had more members than others and the largest contingent was from U.S.A. with about 400. All the teams paraded round the track and took up their place on the centre of the field with the massed bands of H.M. Guards playing all the while.

The background of spectators on the terracing with the multicoloured dresses resembled a huge garden. Towering high above all and plain to be seen, just above the pedestal for the Olympic Flame, was a gigantic score board which was to be used for giving the results of each event. On this board were the words of the Olympic Motto for 1948 :-

"THE IMPORTANT THING IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES IS NOT THE WINNING, BUT TAKING PART, THE ESSENTIAL THING IN LIFE IS NOT CONQUERING, BUT FIGHTING WELL."

Very little thought is required to find the moral of these words.

When all the teams had marched past King George , who was taking the Salute in the royal box at the front of the Grandstand, and taken-up their positions in the huge square. Lord Burleigh, the chairman of the Olympic Games Committee, invited His Majesty to declare the Games open. A few minutes later the last of the torch bearers, who had brought the Olympic Flame all the way from Greece, entered the Stadium and ran round the track amid a thunder of cheering. The Olympic Flame was set alight from the torch and the Olympic Flag was unfurled. This flag of silk has five interlocked coloured rings on a white background and symbolises the five Continents of the World joined in sport and unity.

One of Britain's grandest athletes, Donald Finlay, the hurdler who has now represented his country three times in The Games, stepped up on the dais of honour and held a corner of the Olympic Flag. He spoke the Olympic Oath on behalf of all the competitors who had raised their right hand in agreement. The air was filled with the 7000 pigeons which were let loose to take home the news to distant lands that The Olympic Games of London had begun. The Archbishop of York delivered a short address and the amassed choir sang a hymn, followed by the Hallelujah Chorus. The massed bands played the National Anthem and brought this very impressive ceremony and scene to a close.

All of this was relayed over the radio and was very realistic as detailed by the commentator, and only made me keener than ever to be on the scene and witness the contests between the greatest athletes from all over the World.

FRIDAY JULY 30th

After a very comfortable journey, on the night train to London, I with my wife and family, were met by my sister at the Euston Station, and were escorted to her home.

Here we had a wash-up and some breakfast, before doing anything else. After lunch I set off for my first visit to Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Games. Since I had to find my way in a strange place I was a little late in arriving and the afternoon session had just started when I took my seat and had a look round at my surroundings.

When I got out of the tube station at Wembley Park, there was no need to ask the rest of the way. Outside the streets were bedecked with flags of all the nations and leading directly from the station to the stadium was a magnificent new wide road, THE OLYMPIC WAY - along which thousands of people were making their way towards the Stadium.

There were people of all tongues and nations in that jostling hurrying throng, and lining each side of the way there were hundreds of touts selling souvenirs and phoney programmes, dozens of stalls where men were selling anything from Ice cream blocks at a shilling each, to a glass of water with a small cube of ice for 9d. The Stadium looked a magnificent structure from the outside and appeared to be about the height of a four storey building surmounted by large domes capped with flagpoles.

When I got round to the entrance marked 'H', handed up my ticket, I found that I had to go upstairs. This meant a bit of a climb and my estimate of four storeys was right.

A uniformed commissionaire at the top directed me to row 19 where I had seat No 130. When I sat down and took off my jacket I realised that my dream of being here at the Olympic Games had come true. Here was I, one unit in the huge crowd of 82,000, in a seat high above the track in a position to see everything which took place down below and all around me. The Olympic Flame and the huge scoreboard were at the opposite end and the Grandstand and Royal Box on the left hand side of the field.

As I looked down from where I sat, feeling as if I was being slowly cooked by the great heat of the Sun shining brilliantly from the cloudless sky, The flag of every nation taking part flew from flagpoles spaced all round the top of the outer wall. The Union Jack and the Olympic Flags were hoisted on the twin domes over the Grandstand.

The field was laid out so that the finish line for all the races was in front of the Grandstand, the same finishing line for the sprint races as for the distance races. There were a host of Judges, Timekeepers, Stewards and other officials to be seen moving about. There was also the Photo-finish and electric timing appliances and a high tripod affair on wheels with cameramen on top, as well as mobile camera units in small trucks.

Immediately down in front of me the High Jump was taking place, and at the other end of the field, in front of the Flame, the women's Discus Throwing event was being decided. The runners for the 400 metres hurdles race were just out and those in the first heat getting to their marks.

This race was one of those which were run in lanes and each competitor was running only the exact distance. Those who had drawn positions further from the inside of the track appeared to be getting a start from the men on the inside and, so that each one would have the same conditions, the starter was 30 yards behind the finishing line and spoke into a microphone. His words were heard simultaneously by each runner through an amplifier placed opposite their position on the track.

The cheering died down as the announcer asked for silence so that the runners could concentrate on the starter's commands. This was the first occasion where I had seen all the runners using starting blocks. There were six heats in this race and each of them provided a thrill. The slowest winner returned a time of 56.9sec.

Ceylon whose name was Duncan White. He was a I was very much impressed by a coloured runner from beautiful mover and hurdled very gracefully to return the fastest time of 53.6sec. Think of that- a quarter mile, over 10 hurdles, each 3'0 high - and you shall realise the high class performances we were seeing here.

The next item was the heats in the 100 metres. Everyone sat up, for here we were going to see the fastest runners known in the World. Britain had two contenders in Macdonald Bailey and Alister McCorqudale.

The first heat was won by the coloured American Barney Ewell with McCorqudale 2nd. Mel Patton, whom the Yanks said was the fastest man on earth, won the 2nd heat. The 3rd heat was won by Lloyd Labeach, the only entrant from Panama. Another coloured American, Harrison Dillard, the great hurdler, won the 5th. Macdonald Bailey, the 6th. Treloar, the 19 year old Champion of Australia, won the 7th, and his countryman, 21 year old Currota, won the 9th heat. With this galaxy of top-notchers the second round heats promised to be very fast with great races for the later stages.

Then the 800 metres, we had 6 heats in this event with the first three in each heat to go into the semi-final. There were three British runners in the lot who got through and the times were all around 1min 54sec. The highlight of this event was the fourth heat, in which Arthur Wint, the coloured student from a London Hospital who was competing for his native Jamacia, just ambled round the track to win easily with all the others looking like a gang of small boys trying to catch him up. He is a splendidly built specimen of manhood, standing 6'-4" high and when running at speed takes a stride of just over 9'.

All this time the men High Jumpers and the women Discus throwers were busy at either end of the field. My main interest was watching Alan Patterson in the High Jump. He was jumping well and got in to the final stages but failed to get among the last six. He failed at the comparatively low height of 6' 4 i1/2inches a height which he has cleared on many occasions. The event was won by Winters, the Australian, (who had won the A.A.A. Championship,) with a height of 6'6".

The "take-off" was on Blaize (the same material as the main track) not grass and as this may have been a lot different from a grass take-off it might have been partly the cause of the great feeling of disappointment which we all felt after our hopes, that a Scotsman would win the event, were dashed.

The qualifiers in the 400m hurdles semi-final then came out. The finalists turned out to be 2 from USA and one each from France, Italy, Sweden and, my fancy, - the man from Ceylon. The final was to take place on Saturday.

When the 10,000 metres race started we all expected to see the great Finish runner, Heino, the world record holder, gain the victory. However in a really thrilling race all the competitors were literally run off their feet by the Czechoslovak star, ZATOPEK (known seemingly as the "mad Czech") who beat the field by 3/4 lap to win in the Olympic record time of 29m 59.6sec. A Frenchman was 2nd followed by a Swedish runner for third place. 10,000 metres is 6 miles 376 yards.

After this we were prepared for anything to happen when the second round of the 100metres was run next. It was very pleasing to see both McCorquodale and Macdonald Bailey qualify though they were both only able to gain second place in their respective races. A change in the proceedings came about and we witnessed the honouring of the first Olympic Champion of 1948.

This distinction was gained by a French girl who won the Women's Discus throwing with a throw of 137 feet 61/2 inches. The announcement was first made through the loudspeaker system and the names and nationality of the first

six competitors in their order was put up on the huge scoreboard which was quite easily read by the spectators. Then the winner mounted the centre stand of the dais of honour in front of the Royal Box. The second and third place winners then took their place on to a lower platform to the right and left of the Champion.

The Games President came along, presented each with their medal and offered his compliments and congratulations to each in turn. The three then turned to face the Olympic Flame as the band started to play the national anthem of the winner. The flags of the 3 nations fluttered from the flagpoles from the top of the scoreboard. The whole assembly of spectators and athletes stood to attention. As I was standing, I thought, what a proud girl she must feel to be the central figure of this very impressive ceremony. The victory ceremony was to be carried out many times later, but the first one for this young girl left a lasting impression with me for the remainder of this great festival.

With the events over for the first day, I joined the stream of people making their way homewards. After a long wait at the tube station I caught a train to Baker St. where I had to change trains. The stories I have heard about the crowded tubes were not quite true - I found myself really jammed into the tube, with the perspiration streaming down my face and I could not move to get my handkerchief from my pocket. Women were groaning and seemed to be getting all set to faint when the crowning blow fell. Through the speaker announcer,. We learned that our train had developed a fault and was unable to start. If someone had told me that the bottom of the carriages had fallen out with the weight of the passengers I would have believed them. (After that experience, by leaving the stadium a little before, or a little after the main rush, I was able to travel in relative comfort. Once was enough for me.)

I eventually reached home and though felling something like a cross between a half-baked lobster and a crushed tomato I was very happy and eagerly looking forward to my next visit to Wembley tomorrow afternoon.

SATURDAY 31st JULY

The second day of the Games saw me in my seat again after starting time for the afternoon session. After my experience in the tube the previous day, I had travelled part of the way by a new route, which entailed a change from the tube to the bus. Well to cut a long story short, I found, after I had boarded the bus and travelled quite a considerable distance taking a quarter of an hour, that I had made a slight mistake! When the conductor came up to the top deck to collect my fare and I told him my destination was Baker St. he smiled and said "well Jock, you are on the No 30 bus alright, but you are going the wrong way."

So by the time I got off the bus, crossed the street, and travelled back on the right bus you will understand why I was late for the start. The pole vault was taking place down in front, where the high jump had been yesterday, and the women were throwing the Javelin at the far end of the field where the discus had been held.

When the Javelin event was finished the Long Jump for men started at the same end of the field. The layout of the field events was such that the run-up for the Javelin event crossed the Long Jump run-up. The sun was again shining brightly and before long many of the huge crowd of people were doing a sot of sunbathing while watching the events. Some of the men had even taken their shirts off. There was a larger attendance than on Friday and it seemed as if the place was packed.

The competitors in the 30mile walk had left the stadium when I arrived and I could only marvel at their state of physical fitness to be able to go through such a strenuous test of strength and stamina in this specialised event under such trying conditions. Beneath me the pole vaulters were soaring over heights from which I would have been afraid to drop and those who qualified for the final stage all cleared 12ft. All the British contenders had fallen by the wayside.

News that three of the British entrants in the Walk were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th positions raised a cheer as it was announced through the speakers. The Swedish athlete who had been leading when they left the stadium was still out in front. The winner of the women's Javelin event turned out to be an Australian girl while Finland and Denmark provided 2nd and 3rd. The winning throw of 149feet 6in was a new Olympic record.

The sprint semi final was thrilling and both McCorquodale and Macdonald Bailey got a rousing cheer when they qualified for the final, along with Dillard, Ewell, Labeach and Patton. A guarantee for a great race in the final with McCorquodale and Patton the two white men against the four coloured athletes. No matter who proved the eventual winner, it was a great feat and a splendid achievement on the part of each man to be one of the six fastest human beings in the world.

The final of the 400m hurdles was also a thrilling race to watch, with each man an expert of the hurdling technique, and among the fastest quarter mile runners in the world at the same time. To see these men race to each hurdle, seem to fold up and race on to the next of the 10 hurdles as if there had been nothing in their path at all, was wonderful. As the start was staggered it was only by watching when each man took his hurdle that it was possible to tell how they were faring against each other. It was thus evident, even before they reached the finishing straight, that a Yankee -Cochrane was slightly leading from the coloured athlete from Ceylon - White. These two had a great finish over the last two jumps with the American winning in Olympic record time of 51.1sec. White's time was also inside the record he did 51.8sec.

Next we saw three heats for the 800m second round, with the British champion getting through in the 1st heat while A.S. Wint again just toddled along, seemingly at his ease to win the second heat. The times for these races gave indication of a terrific final as the slowest winner returned a time of 1min 51.7sec. The Olympic record of 1min 49.8sec looked in grave danger of becoming history.

The ladies then turned out for the100m and showed is some very fast running. The three British girls all got through to the semi-final. The fastest time of 12sec for 109 yds. Which was returned by the Dutch Champion let us see that there was nothing of the "big lassie" about them when they really got down to the job in real earnest. One of the British girls was only 1/10th sec slower, and there were 9 heats with five runners for the event.

In the 5000m(3miles) we saw some more good races in the 3 heats. The second heat gave us the best race of the three. Here, once again we had the "Mad Czech" Zatopek doing his stuff. He had been promoted in the Czech army for his win in the 10,000m and set about this race as if he wanted to be a General.

Taking the lead right from the start he raced round, lap after lap, resisting all attempts by the others to get in front of him. That the pace he set up was a really hot one was evident when it was seen that a Korean, with a sweat band around his head, was last in the field. Well behind the leaders who kept forcing the pace all the way round. The Swedish runner Ahlden, rushed into the lead as they entered the last lap and everyone let out a roar as we saw the Mad Czech spring after him. I could hardly believe my eyes these men had run almost 3 miles at a killing pace, while I sat watching them with the perspiration running down my face, from under the paper hat I had on to shield my head from the heat of the sun, here they were tearing round the track, like a pair of sprinters in a 220yd race, at the end of such a gruelling test. It was almost unbelievable, but there they were. Everyone on their feet with excitement, shouting and cheering like madmen, as these two entered the finishing straight with the Swede slightly in front. The pair of them were a long way in front of the 3rd man but as the Czech sprinted up - the Swede put in a great effort and held him off as they raced neck and neck for the tape. After a photo finish the result was announced - the Swede 1st in 14m 34.2sec the Czech 2nd 2/10ths slower.

While this race had certainly provided the greatest finish so far, it seemed to me to be a very foolish display and waste of energy, in view of the fact that the man who finished 5th in each heat also qualified without doing so much work, but using a lot more sense and judgement. None of the British competitors reached the final.

News had just come through by this time that the British hope in the 30mile walk had collapsed with heat stroke and had been taken to hospital for treatment. The heavyweights were meantime throwing the hammer from a very large three sided cage affair, which was designed to keep the hammer from being accidentally thrown in the wrong direction and perhaps landing among the spectators. Here the Glasgow policeman Duncan Clarke got to the final stages, but did not qualify for the last six.

While the last six were having their last 3 throws, one of them a huge fellow- over 6' and built in proportion - made a splendid throw which was greeted with a round of applause by the spectators. By way of acknowledgement he gave a special and amazing display of handsprings and somersaulting for such a heavy man. There by demonstrating the perfection of his physical fitness. This fellow was eventually placed second in the event to a Hungarian who had a mighty throw of 183ft 11-1/2 inches while a Yankee was 3rd.

The big moment of the day drew near as the final of the sprint became next on the programme. Everyone sat up expectantly, all eyes on the sprint lanes as the six superb athletes made their final preparations for this, their greatest effort. All was ready and these speed men got down on their marks but someone was too eager and made a false start - down again – ‘set’ - they got off as if shot from a catapult. Neck and neck all the way - pandemonium among the spectators - no one able to tell who is leading - they flash down the track and hurtle through the tape still seemingly all together - as they ease up after their mighty effort, one of the runners, Ewell danced down the track, waving his arms high above his head in high glee, thinking he had won the Blue Riband of the Games. It was two or three minutes before the photo finish result was announced.

The fastest man in the world was the coloured athlete from U.S.A. Harrison Dillard (the world’s greatest hurdler who won 75 races in America in a row), Ewell was second, Labach third. All coloured men, the fastest white man, the Scottish born McCorquodale was fourth, Patton fifth and MacDonald Bailey last of the six but only a yard or so behind the winner whose time of 10.3sec equalled the Olympic record.

Just about this time the first man in the 30 mile walk entered the stadium. He was the Swede who had led all the way and he got a rousing reception from the crowd as he completed his final lap round the track. Next man in was a Swiss and the third man a 48 year old English man got as big a cheer as the winner, for his truly great performance. He had walked over 30 miles in a heat wave taking 4hours 48min 31sec. During the day there had been several victory ceremonies and again I thought how proud these athletes must be, receiving such a salute from the many thousands of people from all over the world.

The tail enders in the walk were still entering the field when the Long Jump winner was announced. A Yankee had jumped 25 feet 8 inches. Prince Adedoyin the coloured student from Ireland was fifth with a jump of 23'101/4"

This, the end of the second day of the Games found everyone in grand spirits. The sporting manner in which all the events had been contested and the appreciation shown to the athletes whether winning or losing, showed that this great crowd of people were really impartial and were enjoying the sport for the sports sake...

MONDAY 2nd August.

After the rest day provided for them on Sunday the athletes were all expected to be fully recovered and fighting fit once again. The Discus Throwing event was first on the programme today and was still going on toward the final stages when the runners for the 200m race entered the arena. The first round heats in this race brought all the famous speed merchants together again and the only notable absentee was MacDonald Bailey who had not been entered.

Some of the heats were quite a bit faster than others and the times given indicated that while some of the winners had been holding something in reserve it was also apparent that some other qualifiers would be about 10 m behind when running in the second round ties. The two Anglo-Scots McCorquodale and Fairgreaves, who ran for Scotland in the International, had qualified all right and kept us hoping. The Pole Vault finalists were now at work and were having no trouble clearing the bar in the early stages. In fact the first man to drop-out failed at 13'5". After that the faults were more frequent and when the event ended an American- a white man this time- was the winner he had cleared 14'11/4". A Finn was 2nd and another Yank 3rd. Both failed at 13'10". Meanwhile the heavyweights were on. Busy heaving the Discus almost out of sight and their numbers were being reduced as the various stages went on.

The Ladies once again came out to do battle in the semi-finals of the 100m. The race was run in three heats. The form shown in the earlier heats was fairly true and with the Dutch girl again being fastest. It looked as if we should witness a good race for second place. The result seemed to be a foregone conclusion, as the Australian, Canadian and British Champions were showing about four yards slower than the Dutch record holder.

The final of the 800m had the spectators all on their toes (so to speak) and the giant Arthur Wint was seen out on the track doing all sorts of exercises and warming up for his effort. When the race was started there was the usual sprint and scramble round the first bend of the track for positions, and of course the British Champion had to get the worst of the deal and when the field settled down to real racing he was last of the runners. Wint was, as I expected, well up with the leaders and soon went to the front. Round the track they went, the excitement of the onlookers increasing as the men started to jockey for the inside position as they entered the 2nd and last lap

The pace got faster and faster and faster and the roars of encouragement grew louder. Entering the last half lap, Wint had been jostled into 5th place but was up to 3rd place entering the straight behind a Yankee and a French man. Wint passed the Frenchman and started to close up on the American Indian. Amidst great excitement - the Yankee just managed to hold off Wint's challenge and passed through the tape about 3yards in front.

Both men had broken the Olympic Record of 1Min 49.8sec which was set in America in ideal conditions in 1932. The new record was 1min 49.2sec and Wint was 3/10ths slower. It was almost unbelievable that two men should run such a race in this country on a new track and the heavy atmosphere.

The Discus event was nearing an end and was down to the last six competitors when the men came out for the second round of the 200m race.Fairgreaves was eliminated but McCorquodale and another Englishman Valle got through. Neither of them were heat winners and their individual times were almost a full second slower than the fastest winner so things did not look good for their chances in the final.

In the meantime an Italian had won the Discus event with a record throw of 179'3".....13'71/2" better than the previous best. Another Italian was 2nd and a Yankee 3rd.

The weather earlier had been ideal and I was at the Games all dressed for the heat wave. I was almost 15miles from home dressed in flannels and a silk shirt-no hat or jacket- now the wind whipped the flags for a few minutes then down came the rain in torrents. The track was flooded in a few minutes and of course I was soaked to the skin in a jiffy, just like all those around me.

I was very sorry for the ladies trying to shield their nice "new look" hats under their jackets or by wrapping them up in newspapers. A large percentage of the people left for home, but since the rain could not go past my skin I sat where I was. I wanted to see the "Mad Czech" in action again when the final of the 5000m came on.

The rain got even heavier so I sheltered in the tunnel till the men came out for the race. As I emerged the race had just started. The Czech was at it again- leading the field, a Swede, a Belgian and a Dutchman close up in a bunch behind him. This order was maintained till the race was half run, the leaders were now out in front, with only 6 laps to go the lead changed and the Belgian (Reiff) went to the front, round and round, the rain pelting down all the while. The runners bespattered with mud from head to feet.

The Dutch Champion and the Swede fell behind and the tail-enders in the race were in danger of being lapped. Remember that all these men were champions and were considered the best in the World at this distance. Yet they were easily behind outclassed by the two men fighting for the lead, almost a lap in front of them and looking as if they could keep going for ever. These two were a lesson to all in their determination and fitness - splashing through the flooded parts of the track-all their thoughts concentrated on the task of winning the race. With two laps to go the Belgian was leading the Czech by 10 yards. The Dutch man 50 yards behind and the Swede in 4th place. Entering the last lap of this thrilling and gruelling race, I expected the Czech to put in his effort and try to overtake the Belgian. However to the surprise of all the Belgian was actually increasing his lead. This gave the impression that the "Mad Czech" was finding that his earlier races had sapped his strength and we were going to see the Belgian Champion - Reiff heading the procession to the tape.

By the time the leader had about 200 yards to go the Czech was 20yards behind. The Belgian was going all out now, straining every nerve and sinew in his sprint to the tape when the great roar started. Zatopeck was coming along as if he had just started in a 220 yards race and was sprinting like a champion - rapidly overhauling Reiff – up, - up , gaining with every stride, the crowd yelling with the thrill of seeing such a marvellous finish by a seemingly beaten man. However it was a glorious failure. The Belgian won by a bare yard.

Such little difference between victory and defeat. The winner's time of 14min17.6sec was a new record, beating the 1936 time by 5 seconds.

The Czech was only 2/10ths slower and also inside the record.

 

Well, even though I was soaking wet and due for a lecture on common sense when I got home, I was very thrilled and considered it was well worth while waiting to see such a race between such worthy champions. Walking, out of the Stadium, to the tube station I was determined to be back next day to see more new champions and more new records.

 

TUESDAY 3rd August

After the heavy rain the track looked darker in colour indicating that it was still wet and likely to be slower than the previous days. The 10,000 m. walk (61/2 miles) round the track was the first on, and with 3 British competitors qualifying for the final which was to take place in the afternoon. The existing record for this race had been broken by the first 4 men to finish in the first heat. This record had been standing since 1912. The Hop Step & Jump and the Putting the shot events were also going on. In the latter competition the British entrant had established a new Native record but that was not good enough to qualify for the final stages. His first effort was 48’ 6.1/2 “

The afternoon started with the women’s 80m Hurdle race. The Dutch girl won her heat and equalled the world record of 11.3 sec. The British hope won her heat but was 0.3 sec. slower.

Next came the 200m semi finals and I marked my programme for the winners and the only one to let me down was McCorquodale. He was out- run and gave up 15yds to go. The men left for the final gave promise of a close race requiring a photo finish. The 100m Hurdles had us all sitting up expectantly to see the young British champion – a school boy of 17 yrs of age perform and also that grand fellow Don. Findlay, who first competed in The Olympic Games in 1932. However the start of the race was delayed for some time due to victory ceremonies taking place for the wrestling events. The Turkish wrestlers had almost cleared the board and we were just bobbing up and down in our seats for the Turkish Anthem.

This over the racing started again. This race was a tragic one for us as the boy wonder Birrell fouled 3 hurdles right off the reel and gave up. In the 5th heat Findley gradually increase his lead after a good start. The cheering intensified as the leader rose to the last hurdle – yards in front. Then the dramatic finish to this gallant effort of the old man of the team. Findlay hit the last hurdle with his front foot and was unbalanced so that he fell in a heap on the track. Had this not happened he could not have been beaten.

The crowd let out a groan of disappointment at this unexpected incident. In silence Donald trotted sadly back for his track suit and headed for the dressing room. Then this huge gathering of sportsmen let go and gave a cheer which I am sure was equal to any that had been raised for an Olympic Champion. Perhaps he would feel that we all felt and sympathised with him in this unexpected manner of his last failure in his third Olympiad.

In the shot putt the Yankees finished 1st 2nd 3rd, all of them,beating the previous Olympic Record.

The Steeplechase over 8 laps of the track with 4 hurdles and the water jump had 3 heats. Britain had a man in each heat and all of them were outclassed and finished well behind the winners. The Frenchman Pujazon, who had won the International C.C.Championship, looked a likely winner of the final in which he was to face men from Sweden, U.S.A., Spain, Finland, Belgium, & Yuogoslavia.

The Women’s 80m hurdles gave us representatives from Holland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Australia and Britain for the final, which seemed to be a good thing for he Dutch wonder, with the others fighting for 2nd & 3rd places.

The hop step & jump was won by a Swede with 05’ 6. ¼ An Australian 2nd & a Turk 3rd.

The last event of the day was the 200m final. Here we had Patton (Pell Mel as the yanks called him) Bourland, Habeach, Ewell. McKinley & Laing. With a staggered start, no one could tell who was in the lead till the men reached the straight. Even then it seemed that they were still all in a straight line and going all out. Ewell was giving all he could to go one better than when he was 2nd in the 100m – beaten by an eyelash! It was a grand race all through and required a photo finish which showed that once again he was beaten by an eyelash.

The result was Patton, Ewell,Labeach, McKinley, Bourland & Laing. The timekeepers could not separate them on the watch and gave Ewell 21.1 sec and Labeach 21.2 sec. That the men had given all they could in this effort was evident by the sight of “Pell Mel” Patton slowly walking down the track, his head hanging on his heaving chest, exhausted but overjoyed at his victory.

WEDNESDAY 4th August

The first event on Wednesday afternoon was the final of the women’s 80m

hurdles. This turned out to be almost a shock, though it would have been a very pleasant one. After one false start, away they went, skimming over the hurdles at top speed in faultless style. The Dutch girl was in front all the way with the Australian & British girls very close up. Coming to the last hurdle the British girl seemed to feel that she was really close up to the Leader and put in a very powerful finish – cleared the last hurdle a yard or so behind and put all she knew into her burst for the tape. She almost got there but the never failing photo finish showed her only inches behind in second place with the Australian 3rd. The other 3 girls were yards and yards behind. Once again the first two could not be separated on the watch and both hold the world record with 11.2 sec. This was another glorious failure for Britain.

Some time before my son had remarked that a man on top of one of the domes on the Grand Stand was having trouble with one of the flags. Not long afterwards we knew what his trouble was. He was changing the Union Jack for the Royal Standard. Their Majesties, the King and Queen with Princess Margaret soon made their way up to the Royal Box – to the accompaniment of the National Anthem played by the band. Immediately after that the band played “Happy Birthday to you”. Then we who had lost ourselves in the Olympic Games to the exclusion of all else, realised that today was the Queen’s Birthday. My two friends Mr Allan & Mr Clunas agreed with me that it was very nice of the Royal Family coming toWembly to see us.

The women’s Long Jump and Shot Putt which were going through the preliminary rounds since 11.00 am were nearing the final stages. The British entrants had all been outclassed once more and were no longer on the field. The Men’s 400m heats were next and while all the heat winners seemed to have some thing in hand over their rivals. Arthur Wint had the fastest time.

The 3 British runners who qualified did not look to have the class to get through to the final.

The 100m hurdles final was a real class affair. Here the Yanks has 3. Sweden, Australia & the Argentine had one runner each. What a sight it was to see these fellows hurtling down the track – their legs flashing up and out as they cleared each of the 10 hurdles which were 3’6” in height. The very poetry of motion displayed in this new style with both arms extended out in front. The three Americans streaked over the last hurdle together Andover the finishing line all together. The photo finish once more disclosed a very close finish.

The winner was Porter in the new world record time of 13.9sec. 2nd & 3rd men each equalled the existing record. This was the second time that the U.S.A. had taken the first three places in an event ( Shot- Putt).

In the 1500 m we were to see the greatest runners in the world (at this distance) together.

Strand of Sweden , De Ruyter of Holland and Barry of Eire were all in the first heat. The first 3, from each heat, to qualify for the final. Once more we witnessed the elimination of the British competitors before the final stage of the event. This was due entirely to the very high standard of the competition in which the native runners were outclassed by our foreign visitors.

The next round of the 400m was quite up to our expectations and provided some very fine racing. Wint, McKinkley, Currola, Whitefield (The Yank who beat Wint in the 800m), Reardon, the Irish Champion and Shore the young South African champion were the finalists.

Once again the giant A.S.Wint had the fastest time in the heats and whether McKinley was reserving something for the final remained to be seen and gave good reason to look for an exceptionally good race the next day.

 

THURSDAY 5th August

When I arrived at the Stadium on Thursday afternoon, it was discovered that the Decathlon men had been hard at work since 11.00am. Starting with the 100m - the Long Jump-Shot Putt- High Jump and 400m. One event right after the other. This truly is a great test of all round ability and physical fitness; the remaining five events were to be decided next day. In this event the men compete against a standard which has been set up by the Olympic committee and points are awarded according to the merit of each performance in the individual events. The possible of 1000 points has seldom if ever been gained for an event. By the times, height and distances some of the competitors were achieving they seemed good enough to win some of the Olympic Titles. The height of 6’4” was reached in the High Jump before it was finished and quite a number of them cleared 6’0”. At the end of the day the leading places were occupied by competitors from Argentina 3,897 points

France 3,880 Three from America with 3,840, 3,843, and 3,811 Australia had 3,718. These fellows had been passing and re-passing each other all day as the various events took place and one either gained or lost ground on the others. The final of 400m was the highlight of the day. All the six men got off to a good start, which took place in a hushed silence. Right away it was seen that McKenley was setting up a spanking pace and was actually in the lead and going away from the others as they really sprinted round the track. It seemed that Wint with his 9’0” stride taking him along was in about second place, but as the race was in lanes it was difficult to tell. Then as the men entered the finishing straight the true position was seen. McKenley was about 20 yds in front of the others with Wint about 5th. They were closing up fast however and Wint was coming through strongly to challenge McKenley and was driving his long muscular legs as faster and faster. The crowd rose to Wint as he drew into second place and went after his fellow Jamacian. McKenkey had actually set up and maintained a sprinting pace from the start and was doing all he could to hold on. However he could not hold off the strong finish Wint was putting in and the spectators were cheering lustily as Wint drew level and then forged ahead to gain a truly magnificent victory in the fastest time ever recorded for the distance in this country. McKenley was 2nd beaten by 2-1/2 yds. with the American Indian 3rd. The time equalled the Olympic record of 46.2 sec. Then, for the first time during the games the band played “God Save The King” for the victory ceremony and the popular Wint got a wonderful reception and a cheer from the vast assembly for the such a grand performance.

The great Herb McKenley was on his knees his head on the grass, exhausted by his great effort in the race but Wint was strolling around, seemingly quite fit and fresh and not in the least distressed. He was well worthy of the applause he received and a truly great champion.

The Ladies next took up our attention for the 200m heats. The Dutch champion was out for her third Gold Medal and duly qualified. She was actually in a class by herself, and anyone drawn to run in the same heat was just unlucky. The three British girls got through and kept our hopes alive. In a all out effort at the finish of the 3rd heat the French girl who was leading stumbled and fell just short of the finishing line while the girl who finished 2nd did the same just after she passed the tape. They had driven themselves on till their legs became too nerveless to respond and hold them up.

The final of the 3.000m Steeplechase was a very interesting and spectacular race to watch. Some of the runners cleared the jumps while others jumped on them and over. The 3,000m was almost 8 laps of the track and the leadership was continually changing lap after lap as the race went on. The Frenchman was prominent all through till he became distressed and dropped back before finally falling out of the race. The last 3 laps became a race between two Swedes, first one then the other in the lead. In the last lap they were out on their own, neck and neck over the hurdles and water jump. Sjoestrand was first and Elmsaetn 2nd. In another grand finish a Frenchmen was just beaten by another Swede, Hagstroem for 3rd place. The winner was only 1 sec. outside the Olympic Record of 9m 3.8sec.

When I left the Stadium at 7.00 pm. The Decathlon men were still at it – running off the 400m event and that was after they had finished the High Jump.

FRIDAY 6th August

The Decathlon men had been back at work since half past ten. Today the events were 110m Hurdles - Discus- Pole Vault-Javelin and the 1,500m. The standard time for the Hurdles was 14.6 sec. and is around the Scottish record time. This gives some indication of the high standards set for this all round championship.

To get full marks for the Discus they would have to throw 160 feet.

The events were up to time today – yesterday they were behind schedule – and at 3.00pm the Pole Vault got underway. The rain had been coming down steadily all day and it was a wonder some of the vaulters did not have a serious accident on account of the wet ground and the slippery poles. The winner of this event cleared 11’6”.

When the placings were announced with two events still to be decided, 33 of the 37 entrants were still in the running. The leader was now the 17 year old schoolboy from California – Bob Mathias who had 5.500 points. The Frenchman 2nd and the Argentinian 3rd next there were two Yanks with the Australian in 6th position.

These fellows were all champion athletes – they had to be. Competing in such wretched conditions with the heavy list of events which were taking a long time to decide owing to the keen competition and the equality of the competitors.

The final of the women’s 200m was something in the nature of a walkover for the Dutch champion Fanny Blankers Koen. That this wonderful triple victory was not unexpected was clearly seen as the Wonder Woman athlete passed through the tape. This unprecedented feat was recognised by a little Dutch girl who came out on to the track and presented the winner with a large bouquet of flowers.

This 30 year old woman certainly deserves the credit of being the world’s greatest woman athlete of all time. She also holds the world record for the women’s High jump.

The consistent Australian girl Strickland was again beaten into 3rd place by an English girl for the 3rd time in the Games. One girl from Chile had an unfortunate experience in the early heats of this race, being disqualified for making two false starts and was not allowed to run.

The value of the photo finish apparatus was demonstrated in the semi-finals as in one case the visual judges gave the result as a dead heat for 2nd place whereas the photo finish showed a dead heat for first with the 3rd girl only inches behind.

In the 1,500m (1 mile) the form of the runners was seriously affected by the horrible conditions. The rain was steadily pouring down and the track was heavy and flooded in some places.

From the start it looked to be a race between two Swedish runners Strand and Eriksson with any one of the others in 3rd place. There was little to get excited about during the race except for the battle between the two Swedes. The great Strand was defeated by his lesser known countryman Eriksson and Jack Lovelock’s Olympic record was safe for the time being. In fact the only thrill of the race came at the very end as the Dutch Champion Sligkhuis came up very fast at the end to finish only inches behind strand for 3rd place. The time was 3m49.8Sec. This was only 2sec. outside the record.

The heats of the 400m relay indicated that the team from U.S.A. would win the final just as easily as they did the heats. They were represented by Patton, Dillard, Ewell, and Wright. They seemed too good for all the others. The British team had also won a place in the final.

Jamaica had withdrawn their team from the relay as the same 4 men were due to run in the 1,600m later in the afternoon. That this was sound judgement seemed clear when their team of McKenley, Wint, Rhoden and Laing put up the fastest time in the heats (at 3m.11secs,) being a full second faster than the next best. Once more I regret to record that the 4 British representatives were eliminated in the early stages.

The final would be fought out between Finland , U.S.A., Jamaica, France, Sweden and Italy.

The Decathlon Pole Vaulters were still at the job when I left the Stadium at 7.30 pm with the championship still to be decided. Later I discovered that the event had been brought to an end when the Javelin was decided by the light of candles at 11.00 pm

The winner was the Schoolboy from U.S.A. Bob Mathias whose Mother and Father were among the handful of people present when the last event took place.

Considering that this young lad had been in the field taking part in a series of contests with the best in the World for a period of 12 ½ hours for the second day in succession he had certainly earned and merited the title of the World’s best all round athlete.

The success of this boy in this supreme test of fitness of mind and muscle was one of the outstanding features of the Games. His performances as set against the standards of the Olympic Committee were :-

Race His time Standard time

100m 11.2sec. 10.5sec.

400m 51.7 sec 48 “

1,500m 5min. 11sec. 3m 54sec.

110m Hurdles 15.7sec 14.6 sec.

High Jump 6’ -1 ¼ “ 6’- 5 ½ “

Long Jump 21’- 8 ½” 22’- 9 5/8”

Pole Vault 11’- 5 ¾ “ 13’- 9 ½”

Shot Putt 32’ - ¼” 51’ – 6”

Discus 144’ – 4” 160’ – 10 ½”

Javelin 164’ – 0” 228’ – 0”

 

His parents must have been very proud of his success in his first Olympic Games at such an early age, though perhaps fretful of the effect of his efforts in the arduous contest during such terrible weather conditions over the two days.

 

SATURDAY 7th August

The weather brightened up for the last day of this great feast of athletics and the sun was once more shining brightly and the air was clear and warm when I arrived in my usual place about 2. 45 pm.

The Arena was filled with 200 white clad figures – a huge team of Swedish Gymnasts giving a demonstration of Physical Training. They were members of the Swedish Gymnast Association and were demonstrating how these exercises and gymnastics would be greatly beneficial in promoting health, beauty, strength and happiness in an effort to contribute to the Olympic ideal of true international fellowship among the people of all nations.

The demonstration had been going on since 2.00 pm and the Stadium was now packed to capacity. There was a crowd of about 10,000 outside still hoping to get in. The ticket touts had made a huge profit selling tickets at twice their face value.

Prompt at 3.00 pm the men for the 26 mile Marathon came out on to the track. There were 44 runners – from Spain, Argentine, Korea, S. Africa, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium, U.S.A., Sweden, Finland, Chile, China, Turkey, Hungary, Greece, Norway, Denmark, India, Eire and Britain. The favourite for the race was Yum Bok Suh who had won some good races in the States, and the English champion Jack Holden. After 1 ¾ laps of the track the runners left the Stadium, passing under the Olympic Flame on their way out for the arduous task in the warm sunny afternoon.

The women’s high jump got under way soon after this and the female speed merchants came out for the heats of the 400m relay. In the 3 heats of 4 teams

Canada and Australia won in the 1st. Britain and Austria won in the 2nd. Denmark and Holland in the 3rd these were the teams winning a place in the final. The Dutch team ran a remarkably fast race in 47.6sec. Which was just outside even time all the way.

The final of the men’s 400m relay caused quite a sensation. The teams here were U.S.A., Italy, Hungary, Canada, Holland and Britain. The US team, with Dillard, who had won the 100m., Patton who had won the 200m. Ewell who was just beaten in both these events and another coloured called Wright all looked good in the line- up and certain to win.

The race did not take long to get going and even less time to run. Patton, 4th man for USA, flashed through the tape about 5 yards in front of Archer of Britain who in turn was well in front of the Italian.

This was much as we had expected and we were all surprised when the announcement of the result was delayed. When the result was given out the positions were Britain, Italy, Hungary, and Holland. The US team had been disqualified for an infringement at the first change over. Having over run the limit line before the changeover was complete.

The Marathon men were now well on their way and at 6 ½ mile Gailly, a Belgian. was leading from a Chinaman with a Frenchman 3rd. Holden was in 11th place.

In the women’s High Jump the 21 competitors had been seeded. The Dutch woman did not take part.

The 10,000m walk final brought all the 10 qualifiers out to the start. We had high hopes here of a home win, but as soon as the men got settled down to their stride it was a Swede who was setting a very fast pace and was going farther away from his rivals with every step he took. The 3 British walkers were lying quite handy in 4th, 7th and 8th position. By the time 15of the 25 laps had been covered the British hopes had moved up to 2nd, 4th and 7th while the Swede had caught up with the tailenders of the field and was still going smoothly and fast. The race was now more like a procession and the judges must have been busy watching the laps as the competitors were all mixed up some, being 2 laps behind the leaders. The race was all over so far as 1st place was concerned but there was quite a tussle among those behind for the minor places. It was seen that a Swiss was going by his watch and putting a bit of a spurt on and the eventual outcome of this event was Mikealson, Sweden 1st. Johansson, Sweden and the Swiss walker just beating Morris of Britain for 3rd place by 4 sec.

The other two Brits were 5th and 7th.The winner’s time of 45m 13.7sec, beat the existing World record of 46m 28.4sec. In fact the first 5 men home were all inside record time.

After this more or less dull event the final of the 1,600m relay race was quite refreshing. I thought that the Jamaican team would prove too good for the Yankees and was looking forward to a good race. The race had only just started when we had the first of several unexpected and unlooked for happenings.

The first runners had only covered about 100yds when the Italian started to hobble as if his shoe had come off; after another 50 yds, he collapsed on the track and had to be carried off. The others raced on with the Italians now out of it. By the 3rd lap the Yanks were about 15yds in front of the Jamaican team with Wint and McKenley still to go. Wint set out after his man in great style and was fast closing the gap when suddenly he trailed his left leg stiff behind him and staggered off the track throwing himself on the grass and beat the ground in disappointment and chagrin. It was all in the game and though the team had come near to record time in the heats and Jamaica looked likely to win the final, they too were out of it.

This gave those behind Wint a greater urge to go on for 2nd place and at the last change- over, the US were well in the lead and won easily. With France, 2nd, Sweden 3rd and Finland 4th. The Yankees had a lucky break in that race.

At the half way stage of the Marathon the young Belgian Soldier was still leading and in 2nd place was a runner from Argentina with a Korean 3rd. A groan was drawn from the crowd when it was announced that Holden had retired from the race with blistered feet.

The final of the women’s 400m relay was another personal triumph for the triple Olympic champion, Blankers Koen, who turned a deficit of 2 yds, behind the Australian team at the last change over, into a magnificent last stride victory so gaining her 4th Gold Medal. This was a truly marvellous performance.

The women’s High Jump had now reached the stage when only 3 competitors were left in the competition. The French girl Ostermyer, who had previously won the Discus and the Javelin titles, A coloured American girl Alice Coachman and the British champion Tyler. The last two were left to fight it to the bitter end after the French girl failed at 5’ 4-5/8 . As they carried on all eyes were on them till the bar reached the height which, if they cleared it, would establish a new Olympic Record. This they did to a prolonged burst of applause and the bar was raised another ½” at a time till both failed at 5’ 6 ¼”

The previous record was 5’ 5 ¼”. It was another near thing for Britain as the American girl won having cleared the last height at her first attempt while the British girl required a second chance.

This was an unusual record for the British girl who had the same experience in the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936. She had equalled the highest height jumped but had to take 2nd place then too.

The first man of the Marathon to enter the Stadium was Gailly the young Belgian who had led all the way. He got a rousing reception as he appeared and it was instantly seen that he was in a very exhausted condition as he started his final ¼ mile round the track. Almost immediately after him, the Argentine runner came into sight closely followed by Richards, a Welshman. Both of them running strongly and, in seemingly good condition, soon passed the Belgian who seemed ready to collapse in his tracks but was urged to struggle on. He was actually trailing his feet at a slow walking pace.

The Argentinian winner was mobbed by his countrymen at the finish and the Welshman finished 2nd to the greatest roar I had heard all week. It was phenomenal to have 3 men on the last ¼ mile at the end of a 26mile race and every one cheered the gallant Belgian as he drove himself to the finish of the race quite dazed and all his strength gone. I was hoping that no one else would appear to rob the lad of the 3rd place medal. It took him such a long time to complete the last yards and he collapsed as he passed the finishing line. He received first aid immediately but was too exhausted to attend the victory ceremony an hour later. The 4th man home was a S. African the 5th was from Argentina and 6th also S. Africa. One of the later arrivals in the Marathon- an American- gave a great display of will power. As he passed the finishing line the band started to play an Anthem for one of the victory ceremonies. This young fellow stopped in his tracks, turned to face the Olympic Flame, and stood to attention till the ceremony was finished. He was swaying on his feet and immediately the band stopped, he staggered off the track and collapsed, exhausted, on the grass. This I considered the last dramatic incident in a day of thrills and disappointments.

This was the end of a wonderful week of magnificent effort, glorious failures and record breaking in Amateur Athletics at their very best

Truly a spectacle never to be forgotten by those who had been fortunate enough to be present and which would live a long time through mind pictures which would be recalled years afterwards.

Impressions

Reviewing what I had witnessed during the previous week,( being mindful that Great Britain had not gained one victory – the result of the 400m relay race had been reviewed and the U.S.A. team placed first and G.B. 2nd). The different approach the foreign athletes had to the various events was very evident and pointed to better coaching and training than we have here in this country. Many of the competing teams were financed by the State and not ,as ours was, by public subscription from clubs and individuals. For instance, in the Basket Ball tournament one of the continental teams had lost points to the extent that when the competition was only half way through, the best position they could gain was 9th. Their Government stopped their money and they had to pack up and go home.

It is easy to understand how these circumstances may give these fellows a greater incentive to go all out and drive themselves to the limit of their endurance in an effort to gain a victory. The Japanese swimmers were the great example of this in a previous Olympic games. The outstanding fact before everyone however was simply this. -that here we had men and women

from all over the World, Black, Brown, Yellow and White, - believers in many different religious faith and creeds. They had striven and trained to be best in their own country so that they could have the honour to represent their native land in these Olympic Games. They had given of their best and whether defeated by a competitor of their own colour or by one of a different colour, whether by the narrowest of margins or by a distance, all accepted the decision of the Judges without challenge and congratulated their rivals. The only protest made was granted after the slow motion film had been carefully studied and the mistake admitted.

These Athletes had shown the whole World how to behave, in victory or in defeat. The tension of the great occasion (and every final was the supreme effort of each competitor’s life) never allowed the result to over-shadow the Olympic ideal of chivalry and comradeship.

The crowds who watched saw that, when the closest race was won, the man - or woman- who finished second always, somehow, found breath enough to run across to offer the winner the hearty handclasp of congratulation.

Many Olympic Records were set up and all was accomplished in an atmosphere which was friendly and happy from the first day to the last. The Champions of five continents mingled and met on the field of high endeavour and they parted as brothers.

Peter McIntyre 1948

Memory added on June 19, 2021

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1948 Olympics. Image copyright Mirrorpix1948 Olympics. Image copyright Mirrorpix