article by Nicola Pucci
When on August 7, 1932with departure and arrival at Memorial Coliseum say Los Angeles, 28 marathon runners representing 14 nations are ready for the effort of the 42.195 kilometers of the marathonwe need to update an Olympic roll of honor which in the previous eight editions has celebrated the triumph of 5 Europeans (in order, the Greek Spiridon Louis, the French Michel Theato and Boughera El Ouafi and the Finns Hannes Kolehmainen and Albin Stenroos ), 2 Americans (Thomas Hicks in St. Louis in 1904 and Johnny Hayes four years later in London, thanks to the disqualification of Dorando Pietri), and a South African (Ken McArthur in Stockholm, in 1912). A marathon runner of South American origin is missingand in truth, at the Californian Games, the time does not seem to have yet come for this to happen.
Having abandoned track racing, which saw him win 9 golds and 3 silvers in the cross-country trials, in Los Angeles the legendary Paavo Nurmi directs his latest competitive efforts towards the queen of the Gamesa race that he intends to make his own to seal an unparalleled career.
To be honest, the Finn ran the distance only once, i.e. the Finnish Olympic selection test in June, stopping after 40 kilometers due to an Achilles tendon problem but nevertheless setting a time that rightfully places him at the head of the lot of favourites. Nurmi arrives in the United States but three days before the race he was suspended by the IAAFdue to its status as “professional“, having competed in the past for money.
The Olympic race is therefore open to many contenders, among these the Japanese Seiichiro Tsuda, the British Sam Ferris, the American Albert Michelsen, world record holder with a time of 2h29’01″8, and the Canadian Clifford Bricker, who in Amsterdam, in 1928, ranked sixth respectively, eighth, ninth and tenth. And if Michele Fanelli from Orta Nova from Foggia defends the colors of Italy, finally finishing in 13th position, while Francesco Roccati from Turin is forced to withdraw, Finland, deprived of Nurmi and historically among the strongest in the marathon, he entrusts his chances of victory to Armas Toivonen, who two years later, in Turin, will be the first European championas well as fielding Lasse Virtanen, bronze on the track in the 5000 and 10000 metres, and the 41-year-old Ville Kyronen, who in Stockholm, in 1912, won team silver in the cross country event.
If we exclude the Chilean Juan Bascunan, who was 33rd in Antwerp in 1920, and compatriot Manuel Plaza, sixth four years later in Paris and even silver medal in Amsterdam behind El Oafi, for the first time, runners from Argentina, Brazil and Colombia take part in the queen race of the South American Marathon Games. Between these, there is an albiceleste, the not yet 21 year old Juan Carlos Zabalawho ran his first marathon only in October of the previous year, who is the South American champion of the 10,000 meters as well as the world record holder for 30 kilometers with a time of 1h42’30″4, and who he moved to Los Angeles a few months ago to properly prepare for the Olympic competition. And he’s ready to break the bank.
It’s scorching hot, August 7, 1932. And Zabala, shaped by a difficult childhood spent in an orphanage, who is used to high temperatures, He runs headlong from the start, quickly gaining an important advantageafter the initial attempt by the Mexican Margarito Pomposo, who stands in front of everyone at the 20th kilometer.
In fact, Zabala manages to have a margin of over a minute, and after being reached and overtaken around the 31st kilometer by Virtanen, who then gives in to be in turn overtaken by the Englishman Duncan Wrightwhich follows a carefully prepared race schedule, he takes the lead again at the 37th kilometer, chased by Sam Farriswhich takes over Wright.
The Argentine seems to be unattainable, but unexpectedly in the end it progressively gives waygoing into crisis and entering the Memorial Coliseum in obvious distress. From behind comes Sam Ferriswho perhaps started chasing the pacesetter too late, who finally takes silver by just 19 seconds, while Armas Toivonen finishes on the third step of the podium, ahead of Wright in a finale that thrills the public who sees the four first marathon runners simultaneously running one behind the other inside the stadium.
Zabala, exhausted but victorious, with the new Olympic record of 2h31’36″0, is like this not only the first Argentine to win a gold medal in an athletics event at the Olympics, but he also entered a South American name into the very prestigious roll of honor of the marathon at the Games. Exactly like, always on August 7th (which for this reason has become the “marathon runner’s day” in Argentina), Delfo Cabrera will be able to do it at the 1948 London Olympics.