Fastest American Mile

Wes Santee is a stringy 20-year-old who runs for the University of Kansas track team. A year ago his coach decided that Santee's best chance in the Olympics was at a distance: 5,000 meters, where the competition for places on the team was not so tough. Wes made the grade in the U.S. trials but was a flop in Finland, where his slow time failed even to qualify him for the final. Dogged Wes came home and decided to be a miler.

He did well in collegiate circles, setting a record for the mile, in 4:06.3, a fortnight ago. But there was no real competition for him. no one to test his utmost. In the Compton (Calif.) Invitation Meet last week, Santee got the competition he needed: Belgium's Gaston Reiff, holder of world records at two miles, 2,000 and 3,000 meters, and Finland's Denis Johansson, his country's national titleholder, who has outrun some of Paavo Nurmi's records.

At the starter's gun, Belgium's Reiff set a fast pace, running the first quarter in 62.7 sec. Finland's Johansson took over the lead for the next quarter, was timed at the half in 2:05.2. Then, with a burst of long strides, Wes Santee took over. He tore past the three-quarter mark in 3 :03.5, then reeled off the last quarter in a dazzling 0:58.9 to breast the tape in front at 4:02.4. His time was precisely one second off the world record set by Sweden's Gunder Hagg in 1945, and the fastest mile ever run by an American.

California Shot-Putter Parry O'Brien, who broke a distance barrier a fortnight ago with a world record toss of 59 ft, 3/4 in., set up a 60-ft. standard for himself at the Compton meet with another record heave: 59 ft. 2 3/8 in.

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