Italian Windmill

The efforts of Italian sporting celebrities to distinguish themselves abroad have not been altogether fortunate. Ablest of the lot, hulking Primo Carnera, after being a pugilistic laughing stock for years, finally surprised himself by winning the world's heavyweight championship in 1933, only to lose it within a year under circumstances so distressing that the Italian Government now refuses him permission to leave home. That the annual long-distance swimming race at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto could be construed as an equivalent of the title which Carnera lost is exactly the sort of notion which an Italian would be likely to foster. Consequently when Swimmer Gianni Gambi was prematurely dragged out of Lake Ontario a year ago, half-frozen, exhausted and spluttering about the disgrace to Italy, no one was much surprised.

Last week, Swimmer Gambi managed to contribute not one surprise but two to the Toronto race. This time, partly because the water was about 20DEG warmer than usual (74DEG) and partly because the race had been shortened from 15 mi. to five, Swimmer Gambi not only finished but won, against 90 high-grade professionals, in the excellent time of 2 hr., 8 min., 55 sec. Hauled onto a float and wrapped in a towel, he shouted into a microphone: "I am happy to have won for Italy and Il Duce!" A crowd of 10,000 immediately stopped cheering and began to boo so loudly that the rest of Gambi's remarks about going back to Italy to join the army remained happily inaudible.

One major trouble with Italian athletes is that they lack the ability to concentrate. Like onetime Prizefighter Enzo Fiermonte, Swimmer Gambi has several strings to his bow. He has been mildly successful as an opera singer, regards swimming not as his major occupation but as a recreation demanded by his lifework of building up his father's Ravenna stable of trotting horses which he hopes to make the best in Italy, if not in the world. Independently rich, Swimmer Gambi has for several years been challenging swimmers like Champion Marvin Nelson to a 5-mi. race for a $25,000 side bet. So far no one has bothered to accept. He uses a strange 76-to-the-minute stroke which causes him to be called "the Italian windmill." Thick and loquacious, Swimmer Gambi celebrated his victory by going to Montreal for another marathon swim this week. Then he plans a trip to Kentucky to buy more trotters before he goes home to accept his commission as an infantry lieutenant.

Dissatisfied with the effect of his first patriotic outburst last week Swimmer Gambi promptly tried another: "Ethiopia will be pleased to be under Italian leadership. . . ."

Women swimmers at Toronto were enraged last week, first by a C.N.E. ruling that they had to wear suits, then by bad weather which postponed their race for four days.

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