Snell, Davies Run Fast Pre-Olympic Trials

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30560, 1 October 1964, Page 19

Snell, Davies Run Fast Pre-Olympic Trials

[From NORMAN HARRIS, "New Zealand Herald" Reporter!

TOKYO, September 30. New Zealand’s armoury for the 1500 metres was considerably consolidated today when P. G. Snell and J. L. Davies together ran a three-quarter mile trial in 2min 56sec.

This was two seconds faster than Snell’s best time for the distance which he ran before the Rome Olympics, and more than three seconds better than Davies’ best, which he recorded before the Perth Empire Games.

In fact, Davies’ time was fractionally faster than 2min 56sec because he finished slightly ahead of Snell, on whom the watch was stopped. Running together on the village track, they covered the first lap in 59sec, the half-mile in Imin 59sec, and

the last lap in only another 57sec. Not even the news that the American, T. O'Hara, had recently run the same distance in a sensational 2min 54.55ec —probably it has never been run faster—could detract from the impressiveness of the New Zealanders’ performances. Davies was moving very efficiently and probably fin-

ished the more comfortable of the two. He was delighted, for this run elevated his prospects considerably. Snell, too, was very satisfied. He was not feeling at his brightest, due to a little seediness since arriving in Tokyo—and because of this consideration the run was probably worth a faster clocking.

The boot had been on the other foot, however, in another impressive trial ip Sydney en route to Tokyo, when Snell’s speed brought him comfortably home ahead of Davies by three yards in a 660-yard run.

SOUGHT AFTER Then Snell recorded Imin *9.4sec, which was his fastest time except that which he recorded on the way to his world half-mile record. Davies, chasing hard behind; achieved easily his best time, Imin 19.8 sec. The athletes are now beginning to move into hard work—and often on tracks away from public focus, for this New Zealand squad is a powerful and much sought after contingent. On Tuesday, the track distance runners ran a hard 10,000 metres in which M. G. Halberg moved away fairly conclusively from his companions, W. D. Baillie and A. B. Magee. Halberg, although he claimed the run to be a very tough one, showed his physical hardiness by keeping his lap times very steady, in spite of the toll of a run which produced a 10,000 metres time of 29min 30sec. JULIAN IMPRESSES

Baillie and Magee seem to be somewhat behind Halberg in more than just this run, and the fact they are running against him 1 often and being beaten cannot be helping their confidence.

The man of this day. however, was possibly J. L. Julian. Planning to run, with R L. Puckett, four separate half-miles in about 2min 20sec each, Julian reeled off three in under 2min Msec and then tore around the last one in 2min 3sec. He was disappointed not to have broken 2min 2sec, the best half-mile time of his career. Meanwhile, at another ground, Mrs Valerie Young was putting the shot 56ft 3in, which is far and away the best of her life and places her on a definite footing with the best three in the world.