Mrs Stephen Heads N.Z. Athletes In America

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31120, 25 July 1966, Page 14

Mrs Stephen Heads N.Z. Athletes In America

(Special Correspondent N.Z.PA.)

LOS ANGELES.

A magnificent run by Mrs M. A. M. Stephen, in the women’s 880 yards, was the highlight of the New Zealand team s performances on the opening day of the Los Angeles international athletics meeting on Saturday.

She finished second behind the American record-breaker, Miss C. Cooke, in 2min 4.9 sec, only 2.3 sec below her best.

It was a tremendous effort by the Canterbury runner in her first race for five months and less than 24 hours after a tiring 15-hour flight from New Zealand. In the last few yards she edged out Mrs J. Pollock, the Australian who will be one of her toughest rivals in the Empire Games at Jamaica. Satisfactory Day

It was a day of satisfactory, rather than spectacular, performances from the nine New Zealanders who competed. N. R. Read, Miss D. Charteris and L. R. Mills all had third placings and Mrs V. I. Young also won a place on the victory rostrum for fourth in the discus. The women’s 880 yards. In which the 18-year-old Miss Cooke clipped o.4sec off the American record, was the most exciting of the day. Miss Cooke and Mrs Pollock raced stride for stride down the finishing straight, and it was only in the last 10 yards that the American won control.

Mrs Stephen, finding her strength in the straight after a sluggish 62sec for the first lap, pounced to snatch second, only about a yard behind the winner. Her time was O.Ssec faster than

the 2min s.7sec that gave her the silver medal in the Perth Empire Games. Read, who travelled from London to join the team in Los Angeles, led the eight walkers through the first lap at a strong pace but was third out of the stadium.

After five of the 20 kilometres he led again, ahead of the tali American, R. Laird, but by the half-way mark R. Haluxa, another American, had taken over.

Laird also worked ahead of the New Zealander, and these places stayed the same to the finish. Read finished well in his usual good style, and in Jamaica will be better suited by the longer distance of 20 mutes. Impressive Throw The 19-year old Miss Charterls Impressed with a discus throw of 155 ft lOln, within three feet of her best, to take third place ahead of her more experienced Canterbury team-mate. Mrs Young. Mrs Young went close to matching her form of the 1986 New Zealand season with a throw of 154 ft, but was still a long way below her best. A final throw of 6Mt by Mills gave him third place behind the world champion, R. Matson (66ft Siin) and another American, N. Stelnhauer (64ft 2in), in the shot put. R. Hargreaves, the young Waikato athlete representing New Zealand for the first time, did 55ft 4|ln.

A. G. Pyne, who has been studying at the university of California looked likely to take third place In the blistering 5000 metres, won by the Australian, R. G. Clarke. But he faded to fifth In the 10-man field in the straight. He dropped to last in the early running but then gradually moved through the field to fourth, just ahead of

D. Graham (England), with eight laps left. Ralantless Paca

Clarke maintained a relentless pace in front of the American, T. Smith, while Pyne was tussling for third place with another American. T. Laris. Entering the final lap Pyne still held third in a tight group of four runners, but G. Young, another of the Americans tn the field, swept past him entering the straight and Graham outsprinted him for fourth in the last few strides. Clarke won the race In ISnrn 28.4 sec. Pyne’s time was 13min D. Norris, the New Zealand vice-captain, had a foul with bls first effort In the triple jump, but he Improved with each of his last three jumps to take fifth place, with a distance of 50ft 6!n. Miss B. Matthews, the 17-year-old Auckland s-printer, finished last in the women's 100 metres, two Australians and an English girl she will meet in Jamaica being among those finishing ahead of her. Vaulting Record

J. Pennel (United States) broke the world pole vault record with a leap of 17ft 6J:n. He regained the record he lost to another American. R. Seagren. who recorded 17fl siin last May.

Games Records Bettered (Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A > KINGSTON (Jamaica). Two Australian swimmers bettered Empire Games records in trials held in Jamaica on Friday to give Jamaican swimming officials a rehearsal for the games. They were Miss K. Wainwright. who recorded 4mdn 45.1 sec to win the 440 yards women s freestyle—4.3sec better than the Games record —and P. Reynolds, who recorded lm:n 20sec to win the men's 220 yards backstroke—,9sec inside the Games record.