Empire v States 

The United States Olympic team travelled to the Olympic Games in Europe by ocean liner in 1920, 1924, and 1928. Each Olympic year, on the return trip, they stopped in London and competed in a track and field match against the British Empire team at Stamford Bridge.

The track events were conducted as relay races and team runs. The programme included, for example, the 4x100-yard relay and the shuttle relay in the 4x120-yard. In relays or team runs, the team that cut the tape first won the event 1-0. Field events were decided in a somewhat similar manner: the event victory was determined by the combined results of the team members.

Tootell Tops the World Rankings

The highest-level competition took place in the hammer throw. Recent Olympic champion Fred Tootell achieved the world-leading mark of 54.53 metres (178-11). Malcolm Nokes from Britain, who won bronze in Paris, was also in good form, throwing a distance that earned him third place in the world rankings with 51.88 metres (170-2).

Former long jump world record holder and Paris silver medalist Edward Gourdin jumped his season's best of 7.53 metres (24-8 1/2). This placed him third in the world rankings. DeHart Hubbard, the new world record holder who had defeated Gourdin in Paris, did not participate.

Olympic shot put champion Bud Houser suffered a perhaps surprising defeat, as his compatriot Ralph Hills, who had won bronze in Paris, put nearly a meter further than he had two weeks earlier at the Olympic venue in Colombes. Hills, born in the U.S. capital, secured himself third place in the world rankings with a mark of 15.19 metres (49-10¼). In 1925, he improved further, raising his record to 15.25 metres (50-¼).

The toughest running battle took place in the medley relay (440+220+220+880 yards). The United States quartet, which included one Olympic champion (Jackson Scholz), narrowly defeated the British Empire team, which featured two Olympic gold medalists (Eric Liddell and Douglas Lowe), by only half a metre.

The British Empire defeated America in the 4x440-yard relay, thanks to the swift anchor leg of 47.5 seconds run by Olympic champion Eric Liddell. 

About 22,000 people gathered at Stamford Bridge to watch the 1924 match, witnessing the United States' victory in event wins, 11-3.