Off-Year Olympics

Long-winded and proud, Indian runners raced through the streets of Mexico City to carry a flaming torch into a vast lava bed that lies on the edge of their capital. As twilight settled over the University of Mexico's vast Olympic Stadium, 21 guns boomed in salute, the last runner lit the "eternal" Olympic fire, and President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines opened the second Pan-American Games.

Even before the flag-raising was finished, a U.S. boxer collapsed--starved for oxygen in the high (7,800 ft.), thin air--and had to be carried off. Next day, when some 2,000 competitors from 22 American republics began the more strenuous exertions of the off-year Olympics, athletes and spectators began to drop in droves.

Strangely surprised by the extent of the altitude poisoning, coaches and trainers stood about in helpless confusion while distance runners ran out of gas, staggered into the infield talking to themselves, their eyes rolling above contorted faces. Eventually, a safe supply of oxygen bottles appeared, and U.S. officials began to mutter that next time their team ought to be at the games site early enough to get accustomed to the altitude. (Next time, 1959, the games will probably be in Cleveland. Altitude: 660 ft.)

Despite the atmospheric complications, all the competitors combined managed to hang up some impressive records:

P: U.S. Army Private Louis Jones ran the race of his life and set a world record (45.4 seconds) for the 400-meter run.

P: Rosslyn Roy Range, another G.I., so lackadaisical in practice that he was almost shipped home, soared 26ft. 4 1/8 in. for a games broad-jump record.

P: Pittsburgh's Arnie Sowell beat Olympian Mai Whitfield and set a games record for the 800-meter run: 1:49.7.

P: Argentina's Juan Miranda lived up to his own boasts, outsprinted Wes Santee in the stretch of the 1500-meter run, set a games record: 3:53.2.

P: Winning 16 out of 22 titles in men's competition, and four of the seven women's gold medals, U.S. teams easily outpointed Argentina's defending champions.

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