The advantages that competition at high altitude could provide for athletes in the explosive events was first brought
forcibly to the attention of ciose followers ofthe sport in 1955. The Pan-American Games were held in Mexico
City that year and produced some startling results, of which the most notable was a World record 400 metres in
45.4 (45.68) by Lou Jones, ofthe USA, improving on the previous best by 0.4 sec. The first World record to benefit from
such a geographical location had been achieved more than 30 years before, without the significance of it being at all apparent
either then or for many years afterwards.
The 1922 Canadian national championships were held in the city of Calgary, situated at 1,045 metres height in the
province of Alberta among the foothills ofthe Rocky Mountains. The 100 yards was won by Cyril Coaffee in 9.6 to equal the
record first oificially set by Daniel Kelly in 1908 and subsequently matched by five other Americans (Howard Drew, Donald
Lippincott, Charley Paddock, Morris Kirksey and Allen Woodring) on nine occasions between 1913 and 1921. lt is quite
impossible more than 80 years later - and was probably no easier at the time - to judge what the relative merit of all these
seemingly identical performances could be, except that the calibre ofthe Americans was well enough established in the best
available competitive conditions ofthe era. Between them Lippincott, Paddock, Kirksey and Woodring had won six Olympic
medals (two gold, three silver, one bronze) at 100 or 200 metres at the Games of 1912 or 1920. Coaffee had competed without
particular distinction at the Antwerp Games of 1920 and was to do so again in Paris four years later.
Before the First World War many ofthe Canadian national sprint titles were won by visiting Americans, though Canada
produced one outstanding sprinter in Bobby Kerr, who was the 1908 Olympic 200 metres champion and was also 3rd at 100
metres. In professional competition in the USA as early as 1888 a Canadian, Harry Bethune, had been credited with times of
9 4/5 and 9 3/4 for 100 yards, while Walter Knox ran 9 3/5 in 1907 (and was to be appointed by the Amateur Athletic
Association as England’s first national coach in 1914). Was it, though, a stroke of luck that Coaffee joined such company? At
that period of athletics history, and in the absence of any relevant legislation or appropriate equipment, the question of
whether or not a perfonnance was wind-assisted was a matter for the arbitrary judgment of the meeting referee, and it may be
that there was some benefit to be derived by Coaffee that aftemoon. Even so, the detailed report written by the correspondent
of the “Calgary Daily Herald” clearly reveals that the odds were against any record-setting:
“It was a miserably cold day and rain fell throughout the aftemoon, but 3000 spectators weathered the discomforts to
attend. A chilly Westem breeze swept across the park and it was extremely hard on the thin-clad athletes as they huddled
around in their gowns waiting for their events.”
These 1922 championships were the first to have been held in Westem Canada and thus entailed a rail joumey of 826
miles (1329 km) for the contingent of 13 athletes fi’om Winnipeg, in Manitoba, including Coaffee, who arrived at their destination
at 11 O’clock on Friday, 11 August, with the meeting taking place the next day. In his preview ofthe meeting the
“Daily Herald” reporter did not mention Coaffee at all and instead rated one J.J. Bon as the favourite for the 100 yards title,
asserting that “his mark of 10.1 looks mighty good if he can pull the same in the light air ofthe Rocky slopes”. This comment
is perhaps more interesting for the fact that the writer seems to recognise that the altitude would have some affect on
the event.
Each ofthe three heats of 100 yards was won in 10.2 - by Cecil Hay, of British Columbia; by Coaffee, who “had a walkaway”,
three yards ahead of Ray McEachem; and by another Manitoba mnner, Laurie Armstrong. There was surprisingly little
details about the final in the body ofthe “Daily Herald” report though there is a graphic description of Coaffee’s unusual mnning
style: “Coaffee has a grand stride and style of pitching himself with every lunge ofthe body that carries him over the
space at a sensational clip”. This odd action was undoubtedly due to the fact that one of Coaffee’s arms was withered. •
by Bob Phillips