Silly track and field writing

[Russ7291]

Lest you think that silly writing about track occurs only in the USA (not in T&FN of course), note this paragraph that I found in the online London Times about the 1948 Olympic decathlon.

"His victory was not flawless, Mathias having to be reminded that the rules required shot putters to stay in the throwing circle, while one of his throws in the discus knocked over the distance marker and caused a half-hour delay in the competition. The distance was given as a guestimate 144ft 4in."

What on earth are they talking about?

[Guest]

The British are all fuddy duddies, so what would you expect?

[Guest]

They have to find some way to take a Yank champion down.

[Guest]

So this is how you speak about your main supporter in the recent war? The French may have had a point.

[Guest]

hey , one must remember that this is the country that gave you the "ministry of silly walks" (gratuitous montypython reference, but "walks" does have a tangential athletics reference!)

[dj]

Russ7291 wrote [quoting the Times]: "the discus knocked over the distance marker and caused a half-hour delay in the competition. The distance was given as a guestimate 144ft 4in."

Not all throws were measured, and when they were, it was often after the competition was concluded. I presume that Mathias's discus hit someone's marker and the officials had to decide where the marker had to be replaced, as well as deciding where to place a marker for Mathias's throw.

[Guest]

Hey, some of my best friends are limeys, and they are fuddy duddies too.