To Win

The 10,000-meter run is a slow, not very popular race, a dogged, grinding test of endurance that usually sends the track fans ambling out for hot dogs. But not last week, when the best U.S. team ever assembled met the best from Soviet Russia at Philadelphia's Franklin Field. Far ahead was Russia's tireless Alexei Desyatchikov. Yet the eyes were not on him. All heads turned toward the other three men--two Americans and a Russian--struggling against time and tortured bodies to win honor and points for their countries--three for second place, two for third, one for finishing.

On the 19th lap, University of Southern California's Bob Soth was second, running the race of his life when the pace suddenly hit him. He staggered like a sidewalk drunk, feet reaching blindly, body jerking from side to side, arms flopping in grotesque rhythm. For three laps, he kept on, then fell. Before anyone could reach him, he was up again, shambling forward, dazed. He fell again, and was carried from the field on a stretcher. In quick succession, Russia's Hubert Pyarnakivi and the U.S.'s Max Truex managed to finish, and then they too went into that eerie dance of exhaustion. Both Americans were rushed to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, the Russian to his hotel room, and all three were given intravenous injections of water, salt, sugar and vitamins. Said U.S. Track Coach Frank Potts: "When you get American and Russian athletes together, nobody's kidding. Those boys were either going to win or bust a gut. They busted a gut."

"I'll Have to Do It." It was so from the opening ceremonial march to the final gun. At Moscow last summer, Russian trackmen, who had been making quantum jumps in the sport, lost to the U.S. 126 to 109. They were determined to do better this year--just as the U.S. was determined to maintain its superiority. The clash produced a gutbuster:

P: In the broad jump, Indiana's Greg Bell confessed that he was not in tiptop condition: "I'll have to do it on the first jump." That he did. Hitting the mark at a sprinter's clip. Bell jackknifed forward and landed at 26 ft. 7 in., equaling his best distance--a jump that stands second only to Jesse Owens' 1935 record of 26 ft. 8 1/4 in. The pressure on Russia's Igor Ter-Ovanesyan was so intense that he fouled repeatedly, had to settle for 25 ft. 9 1/4 in. and second place.

P: In the shotput. brawny (6 ft. 3 in., 240 Ibs.) World Champion Parry O'Brien was trailing Teammate Dave Davis when he flashed across the ring on his fifth try, heaved the 16-lb. sphere 63 ft. 2 1/2 in. to break his own record by 1/2 in.

P: In the pole vault, Tarzan-armed Don Bragg, holder of the world indoor record (15 ft. 9 1/2 in.), redeemed his loss in

Moscow by taking first place from Russian Vladimir Bulatov. Though Bragg had never topped 15 ft. at Franklin Field, he cleared 15 ft. 2 3/4 in.

Ladies First. At the end of the first day, U.S. men had won seven of ten first places, including one-two sweeps in the loo-meters, the no-meter high hurdles, the 400-meter dash, and the shotput. The only real upset in the weights was when Hammer Thrower Vasily Rudenkov got off a toss of 219 ft. to upset World Record Holder Hal Connolly by 2 ft. 5 in.

Aside from U.S. victories in the women's 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, Russia's swift and sturdy ladies took most of the scoring honors, 67 to 40. But in the men's events. U.S. domination was never in doubt. The Red team captured the high jump, a few more distance events and the decathlon. It could not match double U.S. wins in the 200-meter, 800-meter and 1,500-meter races, and a sweep of the relays as the American men ran off with the track meet by the score of 127 to 108.

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