Delay Before Baillie's Records Are Official

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30219, 26 August 1963, Page 10

Delay Before Baillie's Records Are Official

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, August 25. Considerable delay and difficulty may be experienced before W. D. Baillie gains official approval of the two world records which he magnificently broke on Saturday.

The application for ratification of the records contains a statement by the referee of the event, Mr A. D. Rowse, that the track was an advantage.

Baillie took two of the oldest world records from the Czech, Emil Zatopek. He reduced Zatopek's 20,000 metres time by 23.25ec to 59min 28.6 sec, and extended the one hour distance by 151 yards to 12m 960yds 7in.

Hard Track The hard bitumen Lovelock Track on which the records were set has previously been ruled ineligible for record purposes by the New Zealand Amateur Athletics Association.

However, this body subsequently learned from the International Amateur Athletics Federation that it had misinterpreted the rule book,

and that by the present laws records were permissible on hard tracks. The I.A.A.F. added that all hard and artificial tracks were under consideration and that all applications for records on these surfaces would be held over until a decision was made. Mr Rowse said later that he considered the Lovelock Track surface to offer “not an unfair advantage but an advantage over grass and cinder tracks.” Runners Disagreed

But the runners in the event disagreed with this view.

W. D. Baillie said the track was not an advantage, but merely reduced the disadvantage to a minimum. The run could have been conducted equally successfully in the summer on a firm grass track.

M. G. Halberg: It certainly provides no undue advantage over all the other tracks I’ve

run on. There's no spring in it—it's hard. It just happens to be a good track. That’s the only advantage. A. B. Magee: It may be an advantage over a grass track, but it is no advantage over a cinder track. There is no element to provide extra assistance. such as in a trampoline or catapult. R. L. Puckett: I don’t know about an advantage. It's so hard we've got blisters all over our feet. Mr H. I. Austad, chairman of the N.Z.A.A.A., tonight offered “warmest congratulations” to Baillie and added that he did not doubt the application would be forwarded to the I.A.A.F. When he learned that the referee was of the opinion that the track had offered an advantage he said: “Why would he state that?” He declined to discuss the question further until his committee had seen all the particulars.

Baillie said he had been especially pleased to set a record on this track, because he had been the cause of it being laid. “I was ait the airport," said Baillie, “when the 1960 Olympic team was leaving. Mr Bill Stevenson asked me if I was in the team and I told him no.

“Mr Lydiard was with me. and told Mr Stevenson that the reason I couldn't get into the team was because I came to my best form too late. It was then winter, and there were no tracks to run a good time on.

“So Mr Stevenson said he would give £lOOO for a track to make this sort of thing possible. That's exactly wihait’s happened, and I’m very pleased.”