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Taylor sets the fastest time in the 400M hurdles, not ratified as a WR, Hubbard falls just short of the WR
Taylor sets the fastest time in the 400M hurdles, not ratified as a WR, Hubbard falls just short of the WR
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA, USA, June 13–14, 1924
The final try-outs in the USA for the Paris Olympic Games were held on June 13-14 in the Greater Boston area at the field of Harvard University, where nowadays they play American football. The drizzle may have somewhat lowered the overall level of results. However, around twenty thousand spectators filled the stands on the final day of competition.
The qualification system wasn't as stringent as it is today. The final decision rested with the selection committee, which chose 16 athletes to join the team based on their impressive track records from previous competitions, even if they didn't excel in the final trials. For example, 100-meter Olympic gold medalist Charley Paddock was added to the 200-meter team through a committee decision, despite finishing sixth in the trials race due to a foot injury.
Taylor 52.6 - not ratified as a WR
Taylor 52.6 - not ratified as a WR
The future Olympic champion, F. Morgan Taylor from Iowa, clocked 53.0 in heats and 52.6 in the rainy and windy final on the second day. Both times were recognized as US Amateur Athletic Union records but not as world records. His 52.6 time placed him third in the world rankings. The second-place finisher, Charles Brookins, ran 52.8 and ranked immediately behind Taylor in fourth place in the statistics.
In the 100 meters, Chester Bowman of Syracuse University secured the victory. Paddock from California and Jackson Scholz from Michigan secured an Olympic spot by sharing second place with a time of 10.6. Bowman's time was his season's best, earning him a shared fifth place in the world rankings.
Bowman was also adept at American football. According to urban legend, his university team stretched the dimensions of their home field beyond the allowed limit to maximize the benefits of Bowman's speed.
Keith Lloyd, a cousin of Harold Lloyd, a silent film comedian, excelled as a sixth-place finisher.
Jackson Scholz, who won relay gold in Antwerp, clinched victory in the 200 meters with a time of 21.0, just two tenths off Paddock's straight track world record.
The two-lap race saw a fierce battle in the final straight. Harvard's Soapy Watters bravely led on his home track all the way up to 700 meters, but as the final straight opened up, runners began to surge past him. First, Penn's Schuyler Enck attacked, followed by Stanford's Bill Richardson, who won the race. Watters ultimately faded out of Top 4, but he was nevertheless granted a spot in the Olympics.
The start of the 1500-meter race featured a blistering pace . The first lap split was 57.8, equivalent to Paavo Nurmi's pace. In the final lap, William Spencer and Ray Buker battled for the lead. Buker surged ahead a couple of hundred meters before the finish and maintained his position. His winning time of 3:55.8 equaled the US record and ranked fourth in the world standings. Lloyd Hahn, who outpaced Spencer in the final stretch, claimed fifth place in the statistics with a time of 3:56.8.
Joie Ray, the eight-time American mile champion, won the 3000. Originally, he was not supposed to participate in the Olympic trials at all, as he had been promised a spot on the 1500m Olympic team based on so-called "old merits." However, the gentlemen of the Olympic Committee announced that Ray would, after all, have to compete in the 3000 if he wanted to make the team.
Karl Anderson, the reigning US champion in the high hurdles, stumbled in the heats, seemingly putting an end to his Olympic aspirations. However, he was controversially elevated to the semi-finals. From there, he charged into the final, securing the fourth spot. George Guthrie claimed victory in 15.0, sharing the sixth position in the world rankings.
Hubbard close to the WR
Hubbard close to the WR
DeHart Hubbard from Michigan jumped to the top with a leap of 7.63m (25-1/2) in favorable conditions on the first day of competition. His jump was only six centimeters short of Ed Gourdin's world record.
Conditions weren't favorable for pole vaulting. Lee Barnes, an impressive high school student just shy of 18, cleared 3.96m (13-0) to win the qualifiers and earn a ticket for the transatlantic journey.
Clarence "Bud" Houser of the university of Southern Claifornia delivered a powerful blow in the shot put. His winning throw of 15.22 (49 11¼) placed him second in the world standings. In April, he had already surpassed Glenn Hartranft's leading mark with a throw of 15.53 (50-11 1/2), surpassing Hartranft by over half a meter in the Olympic trials.
Houser also managed to secure a spot in the discus, where he finished fourth. Thomas Lieb of the Illinois Athletic Club threw 46.78 (153-5) to win. In Paris, he had to settle for bronze, although he did set a World Record later that year during the dark days of fall.
After the US team was named, they gathered in Hoboken, New Jersey, two days after the qualifiers, to embark on a ship bound for the Olympic city of Paris.
Results and reports
Results and reports
Complete results and reports (Richard Hymans/Track And Field News)
Finalists (Track And Field Statistics)
Newspaper stories
Newspaper stories
Photo: Pittsburgh Press, June 15,1924.
Buker charges to victory in the 1500 meters at the US Olympic trials. Hahn crushes Spencer in the final meters.
Strong Hurdles Performances in the US Olympic Trials Semi-Finals
Strong Hurdles Performances in the US Olympic Trials Semi-Finals
Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA, May 24, 1924
Illinois Field, May 27, 1924
Ann Arbor, MI, May 31, 1924
Iowa City, IA, May 31, 1924
Yankee Stadium, New York, NY, June 7, 1924
Travers Island, NY, June 8, 1924
The US athletes for the second Olympic Games in Paris were selected through an extensive process. Regional competitions were held across America throughout the spring, with the best athletes advancing to the final Olympic Trials held in mid-June at Harvard University’s field in Cambridge, Greater Boston.
During the semi-final phase, regional trials took place, among others, in the East (New York), Midwest (Ann Arbor), South (New Orleans), Central States (Iowa City), West (Lawrence), and Southwest (Los Angeles).
Osborn Clears the World Record with 2.03m
Osborn Clears the World Record with 2.03m
Before reaching the semifinals of the trials, competitions were held across the United States in state-level preliminaries. In the Illinois division, Harold Osborn set a new high jump world record by clearing 2.02, then went on to jump 2.03 (precisely 6-8¼, or 203.8).
The American Athletic Union held heated discussions about how to evaluate Osborn's jumps. It was alleged that he touched the bar during his jumps. This maneuver was officially prohibited by rule in 1926.
Harry "Bud" Evans, meanwhile, nearly set an unofficial world record in the 200 meters on a curved track in Urbana. The stopwatches showed 21.2, which remained the world-leading time of 1924, at least if runs on straight tracks are excluded.
However, in the final Olympic trials, Evans couldn't muster enough speed and narrowly missed qualifying for the six-man final.
Barnes Vaults 4.01m – World Leader
Barnes Vaults 4.01m – World Leader
The top performance in the Southwest semi-finals came from future Olympic champion Lee Barnes, who vaulted to the top of the world rankings by clearing 4.01 (13-1¾). Pole vaulting results were overall strong, with Charles Bickmore and Harry Smith each clearing 3.96 (12-11¾), tying for the fourth-highest marks of 1924. Unfortunately, both athletes failed to maintain this form at the final US Olympic Trials and missed out on a spot for Paris.
Defending Olympic 100-meter champion Charley Paddock returned to the track after a lengthy hiatus caused by a suspension following disputes with the AAU officials. Paddock clocked 21.5 in the 220-yard straight but hesitated the final trials. He remarked at a press conference:
Unless I improve a whole lot in the next two weeks, I am not going to the Boston finals. I don’t want to be an excess baggage.
A solemn crowd of thirty thousand spectators witnessed the Southwestern semifinal group competitions at the Coliseum. It was more than in any other track and field meet held on the Pacific coast up to that point.
Watson Shines in Central States
Watson Shines in Central States
Despite an arm injury, Ray Watson delivered a remarkable performance in the Central States Olympic Tryouts. He won the 800 in a world-leading time of 1:52.2. Relatively unknown James Cusack finished second with an estimated time of 1:53.0, placing him comfortably in the season’s top ten. Olympic-year US competitions used metric distances to align with Olympic events.
The 1500 meters featured an internal competition between members of the Illinois Athletic Club. Ray Buker and Joie Ray, both among the world's best middle-distance runners, ran neck and neck until Buker pulled away from his clubmate in the final straight.
Hurdling events saw impressive results. Ivan Riley clocked a stunning 52.1 in the 400-meter hurdles, narrowly defeating Larry Snyder, who later coached Jesse Owens. However, neither time was ratified as a world record.
Future double Olympic champion Harold Osborn displayed his Olympic potential by clearing 1.937 (6-4¼), the sixth-best mark of the season. Osborn secured victory and advanced to the final US Olympic Trials.
Edwin Meyers, the 1920 Antwerp Olympic bronze medalist, triumphed in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.00 (13-1½), the season’s second-best mark.
Wilson Dominates in the Midwest Region with Double Wins
Wilson Dominates in the Midwest Region with Double Wins
Harold Crawford, narrowly missing a medal in the 1922 US Championships, excelled in the Midwest semi-finals. He won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.9, tying the season’s second-fastest mark.
In the 400-meter hurdles, Iowa-born Charles “Chan” Coulter claimed victory with a time of 53.2, surpassing the standing world record of 54.0 held by Frank Loomis. However, the time was only ratified as an AAU record. Coulter beat future Olympic champion Morgan Taylor (estimated 53.8) and 220-yard world record holder Charles Brookins (estimated 53.9).
Eric Wilson, defending champion of the Western Conference in collegiate athletics, excelled in the 220-yard dash, winning with a time of 21.2, the 13th-fastest globally for 1924. Wilson also triumphed in the 440-yard race with a time of 48.1, the sixth-fastest of the season. However, at the Paris Olympics, Wilson was eliminated in the 400-meter quarter-finals.
Scholz’s Sprint Domination in the East
Scholz’s Sprint Domination in the East
Jackson Scholz stole the spotlight in the Eastern semi-finals at Yankee Stadium, held on its triangular track. Representing the New York Athletic Club, Scholz won the 100 meters in 10.6, defeating 1922 US 220-yard champion Al Leconey and teenage prospect Frank Hussey whose schoolmates from Stuyvesant High School packed into the stands and wildly cheered on their own guy. In the 100-meter semi-finals, Scholz clocked a season-best of 10.5, tying the world lead.
The 800 saw competitive times, with Larry Brown running 1:53.5, the ninth-fastest of the season. Leo Larrivee, who tragically died in a traffic accident in 1928, finished a close second with 1:53.7. Lloyd Hahn, who would place sixth in the 1500 in Paris, won the European mile with 3:59.6. James Connolly, who would later face Paavo Nurmi in 1925 during Nurmi’s US tour, finished a few meters behind.
In the high jump, Leroy Brown, the 1923 US champion, cleared 1.994 (6-6½), the season’s second-best mark. However, in Paris, Brown was defeated by two-time Olympic champion Harold Osborn.
The steeplechase for the New York division was held at Travers Island, home to the renowned New York Athletic Club. Experienced runner Michael Devaney cleared his way to victory with a time of 9:44.3, which ranked as the sixth-best time in the world by the end of the season. However, it was over 10 seconds shy of unofficial world record set by Ville Ritola.
The hammer throw also took place at Travers Island, known for its excellent throwing circle. The owners of Yankee Stadium forbade the damaging of the baseball field's lawn. The season's best hammer competition unfolded there, featuring veteran Matt McGrath (b. 1875), who had won a hammer medal in the 1908 London Games. McGrath defeated the much younger Fred Tootell, 27 years his junior, with the season's fourth-best throw of 52.53 (172-5). Tootell placed second with 51.82 (170-0). However, in the Final Olympic Trials and the Paris Games, their roles were reversed.
Newspaper and Online Stories
Newspaper and Online Stories
Running And Jumping At Yankee Stadium, 1923 To 1938 (Society for American Baseball Research)
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