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A worldwide roundup of the sports information of the week
RECORD BREAKERS—AUSTRALIA'S spritely kid swimmers were at it again, hauling down five more world freestyle records in North Sydney's fresh-water Brisbane Valley Pool. John Konrads, husky-chested 15-year-old Latvian refugee, had his fast-moving arms in three of them, churning 220 yards and 200 meters in 2:03.2 to lead John Devitt, Gary Chapman and Graham Hamilton to 8:24.5 clocking for 880-yard relay (March 5) after teaming up with Devitt, Chapman and Geoffrey Shipton for scorching 3:46.3 in 400-meter relay (March 3). Aussie girls also got into swim when Dawn Fraser, Sandra Morgan, Ilsa Konrads and Lorraine Crapp whipped through 440-yard relay in 4:18.9 (March 5). Australians now hold all 14 world freestyle records for men, 20 standards in all events.
Yale's Jerry Dolbey, Joe Koletsky, Tim Jecko and Roger Anderson, bent on getting into record book, splashed 400-yard medley relay in 3:45.5, broke 2-year-old U.S. mark by half second as Elis thrashed Harvard 58-28 for 170th straight dual meet victory, clinched 12th straight Ivy League title at New Haven (March 8).
Betty Cuthbert, pert Aussie sprinter who week earlier tied world record for 100-yard dash, hustled her shapely legs 220 yards in 23.5 at Sydney to lower mark she shared with Russia's Maria Itkina (March 8).
Marise Chamberlain, quiet, smallish 19-year-old New Zealander, tucked her blonde tresses securely in chignon, hurried 440 yards in 56.1, fastest ever for women, at Christchurch (March 8).
Dallas Long, latest Phoenix (Ariz.) Union H.S. phenom, put every bit of his 6 feet 4 inches, 235 pounds into his work, hurled 12-pound shot 66 feet 1½ inches to better schoolboy record by more than two feet at Huntington Beach, Calif. (March 8).
ED Bagdonas, husky, choir-singing Army tackle, fastened himself securely to triangle, whirled and tossed 35-pound weight 64 feet 7¼ inches for new U.S. college mark in Heptagonal Games, won by host team Cornell, at Ithaca, N.Y. (March 8).
BASEBALL—MAJOR LEAGUERS called on winter-pampered muscles, and early-blooming rookies who may never blossom began to get in their licks as exhibition grind opened in Florida and Arizona (see below) with usual surprises. For example, Milwaukee could earn no better than split in two games with Detroit; New York Yankees were beaten twice by St. Louis; transplanted San Francisco Giants whipped Cleveland in pair; Chicago Cubs and Baltimore went 16 innings before Cubs won 6-5.
BOXING—LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION ARCHIE MOORE, fairly bulging out of his tights at a blubbery 196½ pounds but still carrying his 40-odd years lightly, contented himself with waltz-me-around-again routine until his ire was aroused by errant right to head, then angrily nailed away at Bert Whitehurst to win by TKO in 2:42 of 10th at San Bernardino, Calif.
Gene Fullmer, roughhousing ex-middleweight king, bulled and mauled former Sparmate Milo Savage for 10 dull rounds at Salt Lake City, came away with decision but little added prestige in campaign for promised (by Jim Norris) shot at title.
TRACK & FIELD—RON DELANY bided his time as usual, chop-chopped daintily into lead when ready, sprinted just fast enough to win mile in 4:08.4 at K of C Games in New York, but biggest cheers went to pair of Johnny-come-latelies: Bates's rangy Rudy Smith, who ran field into ground in 600 in 1:10.6; Manhattan's Joe Soprano, who inched ahead of St. John's Peter Close in 1,000 in 2:10.3.
BASKETBALL—INDIANA, tenacious, bustling and scrappy, upset home-court tradition and Michigan State 75-72 at East Lansing to win Big Ten title (see below), lined up with Maryland, 86-74 winner over North Carolina for Atlantic Coast Conference crown, and West Virginia, who beat William and Mary 74-58 for Southern Conference championship, in NCAA tournament.
All-America teams began to make their appearance, but perhaps most authentic was one picked by National Basketball Coaches Association, who put their votes together for Wheaties Sports Federation, gave Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain whopping 1,361 total. Other first-team choices: Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (1,299); Temple's Guy Rodgers (1,069); Seattle's Elgin Baylor (1,060); Kansas State's Bob Boozer (620).
NBA headed into final week with New York still barely alive in fight to catch third-place Philadelphia in East, Cincinnati retaining slim chance to tie Detroit for second in West.
HORSE RACING—SILKY SULLIVAN, master loiterer whose late-charging has enchanted Californians, performed his usual daydling act in $130,500 Santa Anita Derby, loafing along 28 lengths off pace before he shifted gears, boomed through on rail, engaged in some fancy broken-field stepping to win by 3½ lengths (see page 12).
Royal Union, Reverie Knoll Farm's 3-year-old, picked his way firmly and resolutely through Fair Grounds slop to hold off all challengers, take winner's share in $49,675 Louisiana Derby.
HOCKEY—CANADA'S WHITBY DUNLOPS body-checking freely and emphatically, much to chagrin, often reflected by fist-swinging, of opponents, ran off six straight, polished off Russia 4-2 in final game to win world amateur championship at Oslo. U.S., battered by injuries, won three, lost three, tied one, placed fifth (see page 14).
Boston and Detroit were hooked up in pitched battle for third place in NHL with Bruins, unbeaten in 6 games, holding scant one-point lead at week's end.
SKIING—FINLAND'S limber-legged jumpers and cross-country skiers picked up four gold, three silver, three bronze medals, 68 points to beat Russia for unofficial team title in world Nordic championships at Lahti. U.S. team had little to show for week-long efforts, went scoreless.
Austria's 19-year-old KARL SCHRANZ, rapidly gaining stature as successor to Toni Sailer, zigzagged to victory in downhill, darted daringly through slalom gates to win Kandahar combined championship with perfect score at St. Anton.
MOTORCYCLING—JOE LEONARD, 25-year-old San Jose, Calif. throttle-tromper, roared his Harley-Davidson two-wheeler into lead on first lap, jockeyed through turns masterfully to average 99.86 mph on way to victory in 200-mile AMA beach and road race at Daytona Beach.
MILEPOSTS—RETIRED—EMIL ZATOPEK, 35, rubber-legged Czech army colonel regarded as one of greatest distance runners of all time (he set eighteen world records, still holds marks of 48:12 for 10 miles, 59:51.6 for 20,000 meters, 1:14:01 for 15 miles, 1:16:36.4 for 25,000 meters, 12 miles 810 yards for one hour), triple gold medal winner (5,000 and 10,000 meters, marathon) in 1952 Olympics; after 17 years of sometimes agonized foot racing, to dedicate "my entire strength to the Czechoslovak army," at Prague. Explained leg-weary Zatopek: "I don't want to run until I die. I am giving up."
DIED—HAROLD (Dutch) SMITH, 49, U.S. Olympic platform diving champion in 1932, longtime swimming and diving instructor who taught thousands of World War II Marines how to swim and survive in water under combat conditions; of cancer, at La Jolla, Calif.
DIED—WILLIAM ZIEGLER JR., 66, businessman-sportsman, member of The Jockey Club, successful dabbler in Thoroughbred breeding and racing, show horses and show dogs, able skipper of Bounding Home; after long illness, in New York.
