DENIAL BY KUTS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29681, 27 November 1961, Page 7

DENIAL BY KUTS

Alleged Use Of Dope (N.Z.P A .-Reuter— Copyright) MOSCOW. November 26. Vladimir Kuts. the. Soviet Union’s former star distance runner, has denied an allegation that he was doped when he ran at the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956. The allegation was made by the British distance runner, Gordon Pirie, on October 15 in one of a series of articles Yn the “People” on alleged corruption in international athletics. Pirie said in the article that h” suspected Kuts was either doped or hypnotised when he ran his greatest races, including bis 5000 metres win at Melbourne. In an interview with the Soviet news agency. Tass. Kuts said: “I can only say that the accusations are sheer inventions. “Pirie in his article stated that I behaved strangely at the Games. Yet neither during nor after my running did the thousands of spectators or scores of journalists who interviewed me for 40 minutes after the finish observe anything strange in my behaviour.”

When asked if he thought his world 5009 metres record of 13anin 35sec would be broken in 1962, Kuts said: “During last season my record was repeatedly under attack and it might not survive next year.”

Kuts thought the record might be beaten during the. European championships in Belgrade next September or even earlier.

Speaking about possible 5000 metres champions of the future, Kuts said that Hans Grodotzki, of East Germany, and Kazimierz Zirnny, of Poland, were likely candidates. But Kuts dismissed the New Zealander, Murray Halberg, who won the 5000 metres at the Rome Olympics, saying that his performance was “a chance success.” Halberg set the world record times of Bmin 30sec for the two miles in Finland on July 7 and 13min lOsec for the three miles in Stockholm on July 25.