Tokyo Games Spur To Athletes

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30390, 14 March 1964, Page 8

Tokyo Games Spur To Athletes

More than 100 athletes and cyclists, including many of the best in New Zealand, will be competing in the third annual festival sports meeting at Blenhiem today. The quality of the entrants suggests that several of them regard this as a further opportunity to put up performances which may qualify them for selection in the team to the Olympic Gaines in Tokyo later this year. The three finest women athletes in the country, Mrs V. I. Young, Mrs L. E. Wilson and Miss L. Curtis, will be a major draw. Fresh from

being the first three in the New Zealand pentathlon championship last week-end they will ensure first-class competition in a wide range of events. Miss D. Porter (Auckland) will have strong opposition in the sprints from another national record holder, Mrs A. Mclntosh, whose speciality is hurdling, and the Wellington representative, Mrs J. Heeps. Olympic and Empire Games representatives feature in the men’s fields, too, notably N- L Scott, one of the world’s top threemilers, and D. Norris, the

national long jump and hop, step and jump recordholders. Other prominent men amongst the middle-distance and distance fields include Marlborough's D. Karl, who is close to being a fourminute miler when at his best, Canterbury’s G. Hack, the provincial half-mile champion, and B. Smith, who has run a 1500-metre equivalent of a 4mm ssec mile. First-class competition is expected in the sprints also. Here the former national champion, T. R. Heeps (Wel-

lington), C. Cracker (Auckland) and C. Maguire (Otago), all with best times of well below lOsec, will clash. The throwing events could spark off some fine competition with a duel likely to develop between the national champion. R. G- Ball, and the national record holder, M. J. Speden, in the men's javelin- throw. Among the outstanding cyclists are some with overseas experience. The fields include such fine men as J. Goldsworth. A Ineson. M. Meyer and D. Hillary