Marise Chamberlain Reached Goal With Little Competition

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30540, 8 September 1964, Page 17

Marise Chamberlain Reached Goal With Little Competition

four occasions, currently holds the fastest time for the mile ever accomplished by a woman and has twice represented New Zealand at the Empire Games.

Sharpening Up

Now, still with very little tough competition, she is beginning the sharpening-up process before facing the greatest moment in her career. She has come off stamina training and is now on speed work, the last stage of almost a year’s build-up. At the end of last season, Miss Chamberlain had a month’s complete rest so she could start her build-up from scratch. Up to mid-winter she ran between nine and 10 miles every day, with hill work at the week-ends to build up stamina. She is now easing up and concentrating on variety work outs. This includes about 10 miles hill work at the week-ends, a series of 220’s and 440’s every night at Ensor’s road and a spell on the New Brighton club’s all-weather track in Rawhiti Domain.

She plans to cut out her hill work shortly and increase her training periods on the

track to two. “I. don’t know what I would do without the track,” she said. There was no other place in Christchurch where she could prepare herself for the conditions she expected in Tokyo.

Miss Chamberlain admits she has not thought much about her chance in the 800 metres. It was better that way. One did not get so nervous, she said. The Europeans would have a tremendous advantage because they would have had a full season’s competition before. If the Korean girl, Sin Kan Dan, competed, she would be a definite threat and Dixie Willis would always have to be watched. There was the Dutch athlete, Girda Kraan, and there was always the unknown who “could pop out from Hungary or Germany.” The Russians were also concentrating on the middle distance.

Although she has comfortably beaten the Olympic record for the 800 metres of 2min 4.3 sec, she is not allowing herself to become too confident. She does not doubt that the record will fall. “I will be most surprised if it doesn’t,” she says.

The fact that Miss Willis holds the world record for the 800 metres at 2min I.2sec, established while racing against Miss Chamberlain, does not worry her. “She has not come anywhere near that time since,” she claims.

Most Satisfying

Miss Chamberlain considers her most satisfying performance was when she beat Miss Willis last season in the

Transtasman' Cup after being beaten by her twice previously. “It was most important that I could prove to my coach (Mr V. Breidis) and my followers that I had what it takes,” she said. In spite of bad conditions, the time of 2min s.2sec was still in world class. When she had broken the world 880 yards record in finishing second to Miss Willis the previous year, her first competitive race over the distance, it had also. given her much satisfaction.

A typist, Miss Chamberlain will be leaving work shortly and concentrating on preparing for the Games. She plans to retire at the end of the 1964-65 season.