The publication of the book by Francis Guilleux (FRA) "Le sport de la marcia en France et à travers le Monde" allowed us to know the details of the events that happened at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.
We retrace them in the writer's story.
Having been appointed by the French Athletics Federation as coach of the two French walkers who would participate in the VIII Olympic Games of Paris 1924, I witnessed all the adventures related to the French training sessions and the three race walking events: the two heats on 10km and the final.
It was a happy occasion for me to get a huge set of useful lessons and make a very interesting study on the styles of the best walkers in the world of the time.
At the Paris 1924 Olympic Games, the Italian race walk school triumphed and its best champion, Uno Frigerio, already winner in Antwerp in 1920, saw the Italian flag being hoisted on the Colombe Olympic stadium for the third time.
The four walkers who represented Italy were all finalists. Frigerio winner in 47:49, Pavesi third, Valente seventh and Bosatra eighth.
Despite certain criticisms of some of the people who are interested in race walking, I believe that Frigertio is undoubtedly the most elegant, the most aesthetic and the best fast walker in the world that I have ever seen on a track; his pace is wonderful and his style is impeccable.
Certainly it is true that the style of the Italian walkers and the particular one of Frigerio is a gem unfortunately too rare to see and the methods of the Italian walk must attract all our attention.
In the Olympic Games in Paris, 16 nations presented a total of 26 walkers that were divided into two batteries.
For the first battery the jury was composed as follows: Max Spitzer (FRA), H.G. Brockman (GBR), E. Lunghi (ITA), H. G. Lomax (GBR), Obberthbleising (USA).
The order of arrival of this series was as follows:
1st Goodwin (GBR) in 49:04, 2nd Pavesi (ITA), 3rd Hinkel (USA), 4th Bosatra (ITA), 5th Clermont (FRA), 6th Freeman (CAN).
In the race the Austrian walker, Kuhnel, was disqualified by the judge Obberthbleising (USA). After the race the appeals jury decided to authorize this walker to compete in the second heat, but the jury found this decision completely unacceptable for their conscience and unanimously decided to refuse to judge the second battery.
This incident was commented on in all the newspapers.
The organizers had to set up a new jury and it wasn't easy at all: I myself was requested to be a race walk judge on the second battery, but since I thought the judges who disqualified Khunel had been right, I also refused.
The second battery took place two days later with the following jury: G. Foureaun (FRA), Fowler-Dixon (GBR), J. B. Gibbins (RSA), H. Lamberto (ITA), E. Karsson (SWE).
The order of arrival of this series was as follows:
1st Frigerio (ITA) in 49:15.3/5, 2nd Mac-Master (RSA), 3rd Schwab (SUI), 4th Valente (ITA), 5th Clarke (GBR), 6th Decrombecque (FRA), 7th Kalnin (LAT).
During this battery there was a mass of disqualifications: Kuhnel (AUT), Fekette (HUN), Foster (USA), Granville (CAN), Austen (AUS), Rusk (LAT), Keemink (NEL) and two Czechoslovakians.
Several entered walkers did not start.
In the end, only 13 walkers were accepted by the jury for the final
Four Italians: Frigerio, Pavesi, Valente and Bosatra
Two Britons: Goodwin and Clarke
A Swiss: Schwab
A Canadian; Freeman
A Latvian; Kalnin
A South African: Mac-Master
Five walkers from each battery were chosen for the final.
Order of arrival of the final
1.- Ugo Frigerio (ITA) in 47:49.0
2.- Gordon Goodwin (GBR) in 48:37.9
3.- Cecil Mac-Master (RSA) in 49:08.0
4.- Donato Pavesi (ITA) in 49:17.0
5th Arthur Tell Schwab (SUI) in 49:50.0
6th Ernest Clark (GBR) in 49:59.2
7th Armando Valente (ITA) in 50:07:0
8th Luigi Bosatra (ITA) in 50:09.0
9 ° H. Hinkel (USA) 50m from Bosatra
10 ° H Clermont (FRA) 50m from Hinkel