Best Half-Mile Since Snell Set Record?

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30971, 29 January 1966, Page 13

Best Half-Mile Since Snell Set Record?

The fastest half-mile in Canterbury since P. G. Snell set his world record in 1962 may be produced by the 20-year-old Australian half-mile champion, R. Doubell, at Rugby Park today.

Doubell, who beat the Russian, O. Raiko, at Wellington on Wednesday in his fastest 800 metre time of Imin 48.7 sec, said in Christchurch yesterday that he was pleased with his form so far and hoped that he could run another fast time today.

Doubeii’s immediate aim is to gain selection for the Australian team for the Jamaica Empire Games and he feels that his chances are reasonably goodDoubell ran his fastest mile time, 4min 2.7 sec, in Masterton on Monday but he is not seriously considering the mile yet as he said he was still too young. Doubell is in his final year of a science degree at Melbourne University and plans to be a physiologist. Instead of having a break in winter to run longer distances, Doubell does yearround track training on Melbourne University’s cinder track. Two Targets His targets this year are to break Imin 47sec for the half-mile and to do under 4-min for the mile. If conditions are right at Rugby Park today he could achieve his half-mile aim.

Also competing today is the present Australian 220 yard champion and the Commonwealth’s fastest quarter-miler, G. Eddy. Eddy’s quarter-mile time of 46.55ec is the Australian record and his main competition will be from Canterbury’s D. W. Mackenzie. As both will be wanting fast times to qua-

lify for Empire Games selection their tussle should be interesting.

I. Blackwood, No. 2 steeplechaser in Australia will run in a mile today. He has done 4min 3sec for this distance and he should provide keen competition for local runners.