Swimmers Deserve Nomination

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30481, 1 July 1964, Page 13

Swimmers Deserve Nomination

TOURING the next few days the New Zealand swimming selectors (Messrs A. J. Donaldson, R. Shakespeare and R. E. Harding) will be considering whether or not to change their Olympic nominations of D. F. Gerrard and G. V. Ruzio-Saban from the provisional to the positive category, a rating gained by Miss V. J. Haddon alone early in May. The selectors will also be faced with making a decision on the diver, A- M. Winther, who was named as a possible nomination two months ago.

Yesterday was the end of the qualifying period as far as the selectors were concerned. In the preceding eight weeks Gerrard and Ruzio-Saban had beeu striving to reach tough qualifying times and although neither reached the goal, their closeness to the required times and their marked improvement may persuade the selectors that they are worthy to represent the country. Ruzio-

Saban, who had to dodge the flailing arms and legs of casual bathers in the early stages of his bid and who was struck down with influenza towards the end, achieved a reduction of six seconds and a half over 220yds breaststroke from the beginning of last season. Gerrard enjoys a high world rating for 220yds butterfly and although his improvement has been less spectacular he has held his form splendidly over several months. At the calamitous closing of Dunedin’s Moray Place pool he equalled his best time of 2min 14.1 sec—a remarkable swim for mid-winter. Winther’s nomination is purely a question of whether or not the volatile former Australian has fulfilled the residential qualifications; this is a matter that should be clarified by someone in authority before it is too late. The selectors already have Indicated that they consider Wlnther well up to Olympic standard.