Athletics: A Golden Tinge To A Silver Fern?

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30562, 3 October 1964, Page 11

Athletics: A Golden Tinge To A Silver Fern?

A TTEMPTING to forecast Olympic medal winners is undoubtedly a hazardous business and all that one can say with any certainty is that the athletics section of the New Zealand team for Tokyo should be able to improve considerably on its past record, which has been by no means insignificant considering the size of the population. It is in athletics that New Zealand undoubtedly has its best medal prospects but, regardless of past performances and current world

ranking, nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most favoured competitor can break down under the strain of Olympic turmoil and more often than not at least one comparatively unknown athlete springs to prominence with a shock win over the world’s best Perhaps the most favoured of the Dominion’s athletes

to win gold medals are P. G. Snell, the world record holder for the 800 metres, 880 yards and mile, M. G. . Halberg, the Olympic titleholder for the 5000 metres, and Miss M. A. M. Cham- , berlain, who has comfortably beaten the Olympic, record of 2min 4.3 sec for the 800 metres on several occasions. Snell, who now has less speed and more stamina, is picked to win the 1500 metres and could possibly gain the double by retaining his 800 metres title. He has been training extremely hard and now has a considerable amount of background knowledge which he did not have at Rome in 1960. This should stand him in very good stead. World standards in the 800 metres appear to have stood still since the Rome Olympics and Snell is certainly capable of equalling his 1960 performance. However, it appears likely that he will concentrate on the 1500 metres, an event in which he will come up against some extremely tough competition. The American, D. Burleson, is regarded by many as one of Snell’s strongest opponents but he has not run under 3min 40sec this year. The Waikato runner, J. L. Davies, won some exceptionally fine races last season and it is not beyond his ability to spring a surprise in this event. He could very easily rise to the occasion and take the silver medal but it is unlikely that he will beat Snell. Halberg’s chances are a little more difficult to assess. He will be defending his Olympic title in the 5000 metres but although he has finally qualified for this

medal quest Baillie Could even continue on to take a bronze medal ' The greatest threat to Halberg’s chances in the 10,000 metres will probably come from the Australian, R. Clarke, who holds the world’s fastest time for the distance of 28min 15.6 sec. The third of the Dominlon’s gold medal prospects, Miss Chamberlain, is considered to have a great chance in the 800 metres. She has broken the Olympic record time on a number of occasions and in 1962 broke the world record .with a time of 2min I.4sec in finishing second to Miss D. Willis (Australia). Her toughest competition Is expected to come from Miss G. Kraan (Holland), who recorded 2min 4.7 sec in 1963, and Miss Willis, the world record holder. There is also the chance that the North Korean girl, Miss Sin Kim Dan, who recorded 2min 4.6 sec last season, only fractionally slower than Miss Chamberlain, could still compete. J. L. Julian, the marathon runner, should finish well up in this event; a silver medal is certainly not beyond his capabilities. R. L. Puckett and I. Keats are also running, making this another race in which team tactics could pay off. If she can reproduce the outstanding times she recently recorded in America, Miss D. Porter could win a bronze medal in the 100 metres. Another who could return with a bronze medal is Mrs V. Young. She failed by only a fraction of an inch to win a medal in the shot at Rome. Mrs A. Mclntosh should make'the final of the 80 metres hurdles but it is