Miss Chamberlain Retiring After Olympics

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30530, 27 August 1964, Page 15

Miss Chamberlain Retiring After Olympics

One of the outstanding New Zealand athletes of the post-war era. Miss M. A. M. Chamberlain has announced her retirement at the end of the 1964-65 season. The 800 metres at the Olympic Games in Tokyo will probably be one of her last major international appearances for she is to jnarry D. R. Stephen, the former Canterbury Rugby represen-

tative, two weeks after returning to New Zealand. After her marriage, the 28-year-old runner, who has held the record number of 13 New Zealand titles throughout her spectacular 11-year career, will begin' easing up and plans to complete the season “without any pressure.” Tokyo Deadline “I always thought that Tokyo was the deadline. You can’t go on forever,” she said yesterday. It was also much more satisfying to finish while at the top, she said. Miss Chamberlain, who has represented New Zealand at the last two Empire Games, has held the world 440 yards record on three occasions.

After the Perth Empire Games in 1962 she ran the. fastest mile ever recorded by a woman. The time of 4min 41.4 sec still stands. In .the Perth games she won a silver medal in the 880 yards after finishing second to Miss Dixie Willis, of Australia. Miss Chamberlain began her athletic career as a sprinter. She won the New

Zealand 220 yards championship in 1958 and in the same year raced in the 100 yards and 220 yards events at the Cardiff Empire Games. While concentrating on sprinting in 1957, she broke the world 440 yards record for the first time. She lowered the time twice more before switching to the half-mile in 1959. In 1962 she competed in her first hard 880 yards race in Western Australia against Miss Willis. Miss Willis’s time of 2min 2sec set a new world record and in finishing second Miss Chamberlain’s time of 2min 3sec also broke the previous record. The following season she beat Miss Willis over the distance. Broke Record

At present, Miss Chamberlain holds the New Zealand 440 yards and 880 yards championships and the national records for both distances, as well as the 400 and 800 metres.

Throughout her career she has been coached by the former European athlete, Mr V. Briedis, and has been a member of the Technical Club.